Break all the Business Rules...and Thrive?
Calling all Female Founders and Mindful Leaders: The rules don't apply for you because they were never meant to. You're a trailblazing change-maker who believes business is a vehicle for powerful good and world-changing ideas. Break the Business Rules to Thrive and join me in doing Business as Unusual | Kellie Adkins, Holistic Business Coach
The “Rules” of business-as-usual say…
Work long hours
Hustle harder than everyone
Be everywhere on the internet
Market with sleazy high pressure tactics
Launch crappy programs …
Then upsell when they don’t deliver results (cue the “from 6-to-7 figures expert advice”)
Sacrifice your talents to “prove your worth” …
Undercharge for your services to “stay competitive”
Undercharge because you’re a woman/minority/neurodivergent in business
I don’t want to live (or run my business by) those rules anymore.
TBH, those rules were never meant to apply to you or me.
There are more important things to prioritize than hustle culture.
Democracy is being threatened around the world.
Racist trolls are around every internet corner.
Misogyny seems to be the new(again) standard.
A history of violence against women is no longer a barrier to nomination (or election) to the highest levels of government in the United States.
No longer is it gauche to attack someone based on their beliefs, racial identity, or gender: online or in person.
Which is why NOW is not the time to play by the rules: their rules.
Now is the time to toss out the rule book and get rebellious.
Now is the time to be the change.
Mindful, yes.
Not quiet. Not demure.
Let’s ignore the rules and embrace business-as-Unusual.
Business as Unusual says…
Honor your body’s needs to build a business that doesn’t burn you out
Stay in your strengths to ensure optimal productivity
Be intentional and strategic with your online presence
Market with trauma-informed, ethical approaches that honor agency
Craft thoughtful programs that demonstrate your expertise
Invite a small handful of VIP clients to work with you at a deeper level
Price in a way that balances prosperity and sustainability
Encourage referrals and provide valuable free resources for accessibility
Own your place in the marketplace and begin to balance historical underrepresentation
Break all the Business-as-usual rules
Business as Unusual says your business (or mission-driven organization) is a vehicle for social good and commerce.
Business as Unusual says you get to decide how to structure your services, offers, and products.
Business as Unusual says Take. Up. Space. Especially in those spaces (IRL and in the digital sphere) where you, and those like you, are underrepresented.
Business as Unusual says toss the fear-based marketing and trigger-laden sales tactics: emphasize being of value and generating real connections with the people you can best serve.
Business as Unusual says you don’t need to do what everyone else is doing. Write a book. Develop a Course. Lead a Retreat. Start a Podcast. Start a Revolution. You’re the boss for a reason :)
Business as Unusual says there is a season for everything. Honor your seasons.
Business as Unusual = Permission to break all the rules and to ….
⚡️ Shine brighter & expand your business for the greater good
⚡️ Stop burning out by being all things to all people
⚡️ Cultivate the focus necessary to elevate your influence & reach more people
⚡️ Rise to your own, values-driven standards for success
⚡️ Break all the 'business rules' —except your own Rules for Business + Life Alignment
Is that a "Heck, yeah!"?
Fellow Rebel with a Cause, I’d love to invite you into Third Jewel Society —a catalyst and a community to support your exponential expansioh WITHOUT sacrificing your values.
Join your fellow Female Founders and Mindful Trailblazers who want to guide their next evolution with the power of intention, community, and strategic action next year: and do more work that matters.
Today is the last day to receive the early registration bonuses, and I do hope you’ll take advantage of the $3000+ savings and the annual payment plan.
(If you need a little more time to decide, you have it! We don’t officially begin until January 20, 2025.)
Third Jewel Society
With gratitude,
Kellie Adkins, MS, C-IAYT
Holistic Business Coach + Yoga Therapist
Market Your Coaching and Healing Practice Without Social Media
Marketing without social media is possible
It’s true: social proof is essential for large, small, and micro businesses.
But social media isn’t the only kind of social proof. Press, Interviews, Guest Lectures, Course Development, Testimonials, Referrals, High ratings, Raving Reviews, and Client Success Stories are all ways to build your social proof in business.
Plus, relying on social media for client acquisition isn’t ideal for all businesses —especially transformational service providers like Coaches, Healers, Helpers, or Consultants.
Social media companies earn income based on client attention —and on guiding that attention to the content they want to show. That content is monetized and optimized. The higher your social buzz, audience size, and advertising budget, the higher you rank. That doesn’t bode well for independent, small or micro-businesses—like most Coaches, Healers, Helpers and Consultants.
Social media presence and social media advertising are different.
If your business is looking for new leads, paid social media ads are one way to acquire clients who are searching for the solution you’re selling. Paid social ads don’t require a huge following, but they do require investing in an expert (or spending a good chunk of time and resources to DIY it) plus the actual fees for advertising.
With a large enough following, your consistent and relevant social media presence may be enough to bring potential clients to your digital (or actual) doors…
…but you’ll need to spend resources (your own time, a strategic hire’s time, or advertising dollars) to gain that following.
If you don’t have a large social media presence yet, strategic social media advertising can help you reach more of your ideal clients. Targeted ads that drive those interested clients to your valuable, relevant free (or paid) products or services are the aim —and those ads are often effective but require time, testing, and resources.
What if you don’t have a large social media following, a big advertising budget, or a desire to engage on the socials at all?
While you’re growing your following or building your advertising budget, go back to basics! Build or scale your business the time-tested way: and remember that vanity metrics like social media followers are rarely indicative of actual income.
Here are 25 creative ways to build, grow, or scale your business without social media (plus a few that DO require social, but take a stress-less approach).
I used these exact strategies to build my unknown yoga therapy and wellness coaching studio in a small town back in 2008 when social media was a thing… but not a huge thing for business. Those same strategies allowed me to pivot into location-independent yoga teacher training after I closed my studio to spend more time with my little one. And I used these strategies again when I deleted all my social media back in 2019 (I’m back now, but…you get the picture!). Get the full list here.
Plus, here are 20 more ways to grow your business without relying on a large social media presence or paid social media advertisements:
Offer memberships or discounted rates to local firefighters, police officers, or other first responders to show appreciation for their service.
Partner with a local sports team, special interest group or league to offer training, massage therapy, mindset coaching, or photography sessions to their members. Think: Yoga for Knitters, Mindfulness Training for Golfers, Tai Chi for Bowlers.
Host a "Lunch and Learn" events for community organizations, local businesses, or trade organizations. Network before and afterward with business cards, brochures, or the perfect elevator pitch.
Offer mobile services or corporate packages to busy professionals who can't make it to your studio or local business.
Attend local trade shows, conferences, or expos related to your niche and network with attendees and other vendors.
Host a live webinar, workshop or talk to showcase your expertise and offer a special promotion for attendees. You don’t need fancy equipment and can stream Live on YouTube with nothing more than your smartphone.
Offer specialized training, series courses, packages, or classes for specific populations in your niche that deliver a specific, singular solution. Examples: Prenatal Cooking Classes, Meditation for Legal Professionals, Wellness Coaching for WFH Parents.
Partner with local non-profit organizations and donate a portion of your profits to their cause! Usually, they’ll offer to feature your business or promote you in their outreach materials. (You’re doing it out of the goodness of your heart, but the extra shout-out is nice).
Offer a trial period for new clients to try out your services at a discounted rate, and follow up with them to encourage them to continue working with you once the trial period ends with a special package only available at that time (Pro tip: add value, rather than reduce cost).
Create a customer loyalty program that rewards clients for repeat business or for referring new clients. People like to refer people they know and are more eager to do so if you have a system in place.
Host a free seminar or workshop on a topic related to your niche and invite your local community to attend. Bonus: invite “sister service providers” and turn it into a Panel where you all build interest and promote one another’s transformational services. More clients book with you, more clients book with them, and everyone benefits. Win-Win-Win.
Develop a Talk Show, Podcast or Video Blog, featuring your work and services. Regularly provide valuable content and promote your services at the end of each show or in the show notes. Discuss topics that your ideal clients are interested in, problems they’re already asking about, and showcase how your services or products provide a solution to those problems.
Develop a customized corporate package and pitch your local businesses with more than 50 employees. Use this as a way to build your referral network or create a collective to provide services on-location.
Create an online course or e-book and offer it for sale on your website or at trade shows and events.
Collaborate with influencers and thought leaders in your niche to promote your business with an event, challenge, or contest.
Host a Continuing Education or professional development training for a trade organization in your industry to share your expertise and build your corporate consulting opportunities.
Use search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to improve your website's ranking on search engines and attract more traffic. Develop lead magnets for your best SEO ranked content and grow your email list at the same time.
Host a contest or giveaway to engage with potential clients and build your brand.
Develop a mobile app to make it easy for clients to book appointments and stay connected with your business. Or use one of the integrated apps that comes with course creation membership sites like Passion.io, Thinkific, and AttractWell.
Start a Membership site using software (like this or this or this) to grow your community and monetize your creative content at the same time. Substack or Patreon offer email marketing and social sharing options that allow you to market your business and earn income at the same time.
I’d love to know—what are your tried-and-true client attraction strategies that don’t rely on social media?
Join the conversation in the Kula!
And if you missed KULA CONVERSATIONS with Kristina Molnar, Hypnotherapist + Coach yesterday, catch the replay right here.
We talk neurodivergence, WFHmom-life, designing your business around your body-mind-heart needs (instead of sacrificing your core needs for a broken business model). And Kristina shares a mind-shifting tip to support you (and your clients) in making big changes in life. Hint: it’s word magic! Head here to catch the replay (for 2 weeks).
See you in the Kula!
~Kellie Adkins, MS, C-IAYT, Business Coach + Yoga Therapist
Founder | Wisdom Method School of Yoga
P.S. Want to Map our your non-social media marketing strategy together? Start here.
25 Creative Ways to Build Your Coaching and Healing Practice Without Relying on Social Media
Every business needs a way to reach potential customers.
Your marketing strategy needs to get your Coaching, Healing or Service-based Business in front of the people who want what you have—and who want it now.
Nowadays, most people think of social media as a viable way to market and grow their coaching, healing, or transformational service-based business.
But the truth is that relying on social media for clients isn’t tenable for most businesses because social media trends come and go.
Do you remember MySpace? Tumblr? Periscope? Google+? Yeah, me, too. But no one is using them now.
Social media platforms make their money by keeping people on the platform NOT by sending their users elsewhere (like your website services page).
There are creative and effective ways to market your coaching or healing practice that don’t require much social media.
While the market has shifted considerably in the direction of social proof for businesses, maintaining a strategy that works for you is key….but that doesn’t mean you have to jump on every trend bandwagon or go viral to get clients (and remember, there are other forms of social proof for your business. You’re getting testimonials, right?).
Your marketing strategy needs to get your business in front of the people who want what you have: and who want it now.
That doesn’t require a million followers on social media (or even 1,000). It does require some higher-order thinking, market research, and creativity. In other words: YOU GOT THIS, brilliant one!
When I first started a business in 2007, having a website was a novelty, and a social media presence wasn’t required.
But a business card? Absolutely.
Local networking events? You betcha.
Print advertising and PR: even better.
Back then I didn’t have the budget for glossy paid ads in the local style magazine.
I had to get creative!
Below are 25 things I did to market my Yoga Studio and Coaching Practice, that are as relevant now as they were back then. In fact, when I quit social media for a few years, I relied on these exact strategies to fill my calendar with long-term consulting gigs.
25 ways to attract clients without using social media:
Print business cards and give some to friends, family members, and colleagues. Ask them to keep a small stack in their car or purse and hand them out to people that might be a good fit for your services.
Host pop-up demonstrations or mini-classes in local parks, botanical gardens, downtown areas, or during large events (ask permission).
Collaborate with local partners, such as dance teachers or salons, to create joint events or performances.
Develop a signature workshop, training or course and deliver a free mini-course to local businesses or offices during lunch breaks.
Print glossy postcards or business-card size passes with your class schedule, website, and discount codes, and distribute them at local gyms, fitness centers, and coffee shops.
Offer referral fees or commissions to local health professionals or complementary service providers for sending clients your way.
Pitch your training, course, or programs to local colleges, vocational centers, or educational institutions to secure contract gigs.
Send personalized emails to people in your network and ask for referrals or introductions to potential clients.
Host seasonal special events and open houses or sample classes at your studio and offer exclusive membership packages.
Add your Training, Workshops, Courses or classes to Google and share them on local networking and events websites or print publications.
Advertise at local farmers' markets, craft fairs, or events that attract your ideal clients.
Join your local Chamber of Commerce, municipal business association, or business networking groups and share your elevator pitch during their monthly events.
Offer complimentary mini-sessions or exclusive discounts to local service providers that also serve your ideal clients (stylists, estheticians, etc.) in exchange for referrals.
Collaborate and co-promote with other practitioners or businesses in your niche or local area for special events.
Send thank-you postcards or free class cards to clients, friends, and colleagues to express appreciation and encourage repeat business.
Print mini-cards or flyers with your business information and a QR code to a complimentary download (valuable content) and distribute them locally.
Organize a charitable fundraising event or sponsor a charitable event in your community.
Order custom promotional items, such as water bottles, yoga mats, tote bags, or T-shirts, with your business name and website. Give them to friends and clients. Use them as raffle items or gifts during events. Sell them on your website.
Offer special packages and customized classes to members of local churches, community organizations, or neighborhood associations.
Teach a series class, signature workshop, or specialized training at a local church or community center and offer their members a special rate for private sessions.
Print neon flyers or posters with your business information and distribute them strategically in town and at events (ask permission).
Wear branded T-shirts or ask family and friends to do the same to raise awareness about your business.
Keep business cards handy for networking events or other opportunities to share your contact information or get one of these nifty cards.
Book a booth at local health, wellness, or education events in the area to showcase your business.
Order or make special swag that showcases your brand and advertises your business. Then hand out around town or at events. Examples: custom herbal tea sachets with handstamped tags, Wildflower seed paper business cards, Hand-stamped leather cards (upcycled leather, of course).
Ok, and because I can’t stop myself, here are 4 more ideas that do require social media, yet allow you to be more strategic in your use since content on these platforms performs well in driving traffic to your website and has a longer shelf life than Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.
*Want even more? Here are 20 more marketing ideas to grow your coaching, healing or helping practice that don’t rely on social media.
For a “stress less” approach to social media marketing:
Start a YouTube channel and create content optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to drive traffic to your website.
Start a Substack, Vimeo, or Patreon account to monetize your content, then share bits of paid content to your social media channels to increase your subscriber base (pre-schedule the posts for even less stress).
Write and publish a book, e-book, audio book or podcast, sell it on Amazon, Etsy or your website. Promote it everywhere you go.
Craft a public talk or presentation. Contact local organizations to invite you to speak at their events. Promote your book and / or services when you do!
I’d love to know—what are some non-social media ways you attract clients?
If you liked this post and you want to learn more about scaling your business for more influence and ease, join me every week for LIVE workshops to make growing your business more fun (and less stressful).
With gratitude,
~Kellie Adkins
Business Alignment Coach + Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT)
Founder | Wisdom Method School of Yoga
P.S. If you missed KULA CONVERSATIONS today, join the Kula and catch the replay right here! I share my simple 3-step process for creating irresistible courses your clients want NOW, not later.
P.P.S. Want to Map our your non-social media marketing strategy together? Start here.
Grow your Healing or Coaching Business Beyond one-to-one Sessions
An Epistle on Expansion
Or, making the case for growth even if you’re not maxed out on 1x1 services (yet)
Dear Reader:
As a fellow 1x1 service provider for most of my career (Yoga Therapist, Wellness Coach, and Business Coach), I humbly offer the following case for expanding your work beyond the bounds of 1-to-1 or premium services as early in your career as possible.
Indeed, this applies whether you’re building your private client practice or currently maxed out with private clients.
As you read this letter, consider the wonder of these words reaching through the ether to greet your eyes on the magical fantastical creation you now hold.
Through this device and its connection to the internet, you have access to millions of teachings that provide insight into better health, greater well-being, and more purposeful living.
Before the digital age, this type of learning was layered beneath circles of privilege and kept behind ivory towers.
It is a wonder to have access to this once-cloistered information—and all at your fingertips.
Digital courses democratize access (to an extent).
In time, it is my hope, that more healing, helping, and self-development teachings will be shared even more widely for more meaning, engagement, and well-being outside the circles of privilege of higher education, whiteness, able-bodiedness, and neurotypicality.
In my view, sharing the skillset you’ve carefully curated over the duration of your career is an act of social justice: widening and improving access to powerful healing and helping tools the world needs.
All humans need these tools, not only those who can afford to pay a premium rate for your one-to-one services. Even more so if you serve an underserved community that is hard to reach.
I know you don’t do the Work for fame, money, or bragging rights.
You do it for the mission
You do it because it changed your life
You share this Work for a healthier, happier, and kinder world
There are more people who need what you are sharing—and the world needs your insight.
This letter is an invitation, yes, and it’s also a rallying cry.
If you’re a healer, helper, or change-maker and you AREN’T on fire about lighting up (more of) the world with your gifts…maybe there’s a good reason.
But if that reason is that you don’t know where to begin…
Let’s start together, right now.
In your 1-to-1 services, you provide a safe container for clients to facilitate their own transformation. Your clients come to you with frustrations, pain, suffering, and problems…and your valuable work provides a solution.
There are so many “problems” your work solves.
Think of a few right now. Then:
Pick one and dig deep, and..
Think of the people who need that problem solved …right now.
What do they need to get that problem solved?
How can you provide a solution in the most effective, time-sensitive way—that isn’t 1-to-1?
People have pain that you know how to reduce, symptoms your support helps them in resolving or mental barriers your techniques breakthrough.
You can only reach so many as a 1x1 service provider because your time and energy are finite.
What if…
You create a resource, a guidebook, a mini-class, a workshop, an on-demand training they can access focused on that specific issue?
You don’t have to deliver a massive group course, create a clunky membership site, or become internet-famous to expand your work in a mindful way.
What if…
You deliver a single, targeted solution in a way that feels aligned with your goals and your values: that specific people will benefit from again and again.
a mini-book
an on-demand guide
a curated course
a private podcast
a signature talk
a protocol
a series class
a Retreatshop
Expanding a small portion of your work to a wider audience allows more people to benefit from your gifts while allowing you to honor your commitment to equity, inclusion, and access.
What, then?
Need more ideas? Join us in the Kula for my full idea brain dump today plus a special invitation to a new way to work with me (hint: DIY is soooo last year. DIT is where it’s at!).
Kula Conversations // WHY IT'S TIME TO CREATE YOUR COURSE ALREADY! The ins and outs of course creation, Kula Conversation-style, today at 1 pm Eastern (10 am Pacific).
You'll learn ...
Where to begin (it isn't where you'd expect)
How to structure for maximum results (and client rave reviews)
Why you want to do it now (and your first action to take!)
See y’all there!
xo,
Kellie Adkins, MS, C-IAYT
Business Alignment Coach + Yoga Therapist
Founder | the Wisdom Method
Kula Conversations with Kellie Adkins Holistic Business Coach
Catch up with some of the changes at KellieAdkins.com and the Wisdom Method
Kula Conversations
in the Biz Kula
Mindful business sermonettes for Healers + Helpers who want to expand out without burning out
Connect with Kellie
▶︎ Book a session here
▶︎ Instagram: @thekellieadkins
▶︎ Bluesky: @KellieAdkins
▶︎ Facebook: KellieAdkins
▶︎ YouTube: @KellieAdkins
Use Intention to Fuel your Goal-Getting
How to Reach Any Goal
If you’ve ever set a meaningful goal then failed to reach it, you’re in the majority (and welcome to the human condition!). Goals require change —change in behavior, thoughts, attitude or actions (or all of the above). And change is hard.
Change your behavior
But as humans we crave change: novelty lights up different regions of the brain, change is challenging and shifts in perspective inspire new insights. So it’s natural that change is something to move toward —in business and in life. Setting goals is a function of change and is a worthy pursuit in business, especially as a conscious entrepreneur with big dreams, powerful work to share, and many passions.
Setting goals is a function of change and a worthy pursuit in business, especially if you have BIG dreams.
But setting goals and actually reaching your goals are very different things.
If you want to make big things happen, you have to commit to taking mindful action that both aligns with your intention and supports your long term vision.
If you want to make BIG things happen, you have to commit to taking mindful action
You can expand your goal-getting powers by using an intention to align your priorities and your daily actions. That (plus a little strategy) equals your business goals, conquered.
INTENTION + STRATEGY + ACTION = GOALS, CONQUERED.
Consider the following examples...
EXAMPLE 1
Jane sets a goal to grow her massage therapy practice by 100 clients this year. She first sets an intention to expand, then takes mindful action each week to identify new clients, reach them with her message, and invite them into her practice.
EXAMPLE 2
Cathy sets a business goal of packaging her expertise into a training, product or program this year. Cathy sets the intention of reaching more people with her message, then carves out 2-5 hours a week to develop her program, host a beta offering and learns how to market your signature offer.
In each of the above examples, the goals are specific, realistic and time-sensitive. Each goal-getting plan includes a set of actions (goal-supportive actions and behaviors) that bring Jane and Cathy closer to their goal. Both Jane and Cathy set an intention and use that intention to fuel their commitment to achieving their goals. Finally, both Jane and Cathy are laser-focused.
First, Commit to focus
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again:
You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.
What is the “anything” you will do —this year, this month or this week? That’s where focus is required. And as a result of this level of focus, you are better able to identify the supports required and to take the specific actions that will move you toward meaningful goals.
Next, identify the support required
What supports are necessary for you to reach your goal? For Jane and Cathy, those supports were a set of actions and behaviors needed to get different results in their business. Jane had to reach more people with her message —which required upleveling her marketing and being specific in her networking.
Cathy needed to learn about course development, the ins and outs of marketing her signature course, and the technology behind delivering her material. In your own goal-setting practice, the supports required become clear when you are able to articulate (and focus in on) the specific goal.
Next, develop your meaningful goals
Develop your meaningful goals by ensuring they are ….
specific (grow practice // package expertise)
measurable (by 100 clients // into a training, product or program) and
time-sensitive (within a year)
As in the examples above
specific (EXAMPLE 1: grow practice // EXAMPLE 2: package expertise)
measurable (EXAMPLE 1: by 100 clients // EXAMPLE 2: develop a training, product or program) and
time-sensitive (EXAMPLE 1 + 2: within a year)
Finally, take action!
Remain intentional in your daily actions and avoid any behaviors, habits or attitudes that distract your from your focus. Keep taking tiny steps forward every day and if you get stuck —reach out for support.
If you are stuck turning your intention into meaningful goals, take some time for self-reflection. Rather than being distracted by the "you've got mail" sound and the impossible-not-to-click headlines floating through your social feed, visualize laser-focus on your most fulfilling projects, dreams or life goals.
Get out your journal and answer these questions…
What do I want to more of —in life or in business?
What do I want to create?
How do I want to show up in the world?
What is my grandest vision for my business / life / sacred work?
Bottom line: if you want to turn your goals into reality, stay mindful and apply focus to align your intentions and your actions.
If you struggle to develop, set or reach your goals, accountability could be the missing link. Loads of loving accountability (and hand holding) available right here.
From Vision to Execution: How to Stoke Your Motivational Fires
While those around us are indulging in holiday-season nostalgia, we heart-centered entrepreneurs tend to look forward instead of back. And while I encourage all business owners to make the most of the current year before it ends, I also know that we’re neck-deep in prime planning time.
While those around us are indulging in holiday-season nostalgia, we heart-centered entrepreneurs tend to look forward instead of back. And while I encourage all business owners to make the most of the current year before it ends, I also know that we’re neck-deep in prime planning time. The year is ending! SOON! And very few of us are so organized that we can sail through December without pausing to formulate a few key strategies for January and beyond.
But it can be overwhelming to contemplate those strategies without guidance and structure. So today I wanted to share a simple but effective checklist that can help you sort through your priorities and begin taking action on them!
Let’s dig in, shall we?
Create a vision
If action is the finish line, vision is the starting line. And you can’t have one without the other, so begin by letting your creative juices flow however they flow best. Whether you use an art journal, a vision board, or good old-fashioned pen and paper, creating a vision for your business is essential for crafting your plan.
Before goals, before action, before anything else, you need a vision for your business.
Think about how you want your work to impact your own life, your community, and the world. Think about what you love doing, and how you can do more of it while still making a profit. Think about what you’re best at, and which aspects of your business naturally thrive. Think about who you want to help and why. Think about the standard of living you’d like to maintain or achieve. Think about the things you do that make you feel proud and accomplished and just plain good about your work. Do your best to incorporate as many of these things - plus anything else that rises to the surface as you ruminate - into your vision.
Want help?
Have a plan
After the vision, comes the plan. You need to outline the steps you’ll take to bring your dreams into fruition, and refine any steps you’re currently taking that aren’t proving productive. You need to create something that makes many holistic entrepreneurs tremble in their shoes: A business plan. (Dun dun duunnnnnn!) I PROMISE that crafting a business plan doesn’t need to be traumatic or dull or overwhelming. It can be an enlightening, invigorating, even enjoyable process, if you let it! And if you just feel ill-equipped to tackle the task on your own, there are several free tools available around the web to guide you, including my own free resources and the Holistic Business Blueprint. Take your time, and imbue your work with the care and love it deserves. A business plan is an organic, living and breathing thing. You are free to change things as needed and your plan should allow you to be responsive—rather than reactive—in business.
Want help?
Turn amorphous dreams into time-sensitive goals
The jump from plan to action can feel like a giant one. Tackling action a bit at a time by setting small-to-medium, concrete, time-sensitive goals will make the transition feel more seamless. But be aware: as humans, we often underestimate how much we can accomplish in a year and overestimate what we can accomplish in a day. Narrow down your focus to your annual achievables then begin dividing those into quarters, months, weeks, then, finally, days. (You’ll be amazed how manageable your business plan suddenly feels!)
As humans, we often underestimate how much we can accomplish in a year and overestimate what we can accomplish in a day.
And remember that what you focus on expands: focus is practical magic. What do you truly want to create in your business in the coming year? You can do anything you want, but you can’t do it all at once. Prioritize your business dreams, decide when you’ll do what, and carefully select your focus for the coming months.
Use time-chunking to tame your to-do list
Still feel like you’ve got more to do than time to do it? There are many, many secrets to crafting productive work-weeks, but time-chunking is one of my all-time favorites. If you tend to overload your to-do list and find the weeks flying by with little progress toward your long-term goals, consider using this strategy yourself.
Time-chunking is using the same timeslot each week for the same task. So blocking off 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. every Tuesday to create your digital content, allotting two hours every Friday to populate your social media scheduler, scheduling a weekly payroll review on Monday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. This only works if you actually block off the time in your calendar! Don’t just make a mental note, create a repeating event in your calendar of choice. With reminders.
Time-chunking is an effective method to schedule business growth tasks that propel you toward success in the coming year.
Turn vision into action through discipline, dedication, devotion and determination.
If you’re a yogi, you’ll recognize that those are the four D’s of Ashtanga yoga. What works on the mat works in business, too. The most admirable vision and carefully crafted business plan in the world will fall flat if you don’t adjust your mindset. Set tasks and stick to them. Constantly recommit to your goals and vision. Pause every day to remember why you do this world-changing work. And never, ever, EVER give up on yourself, your dreams, or your ability to help people live more fulfilling lives.
Want help?
How to Make the Most of the Year Before it Ends
There’s a shiny new year on the horizon. So exciting, right?! And so tempting to train your eyes on that not-so-distant future, brush aside what remains of this year, and pin high hopes for better times on January 1. (Especially if this year has been a frustrating one, and you’re eager to leave it behind and make a fresh start.)
There’s a shiny new year on the horizon. So exciting, right?! And so tempting to train your eyes on that not-so-distant future, brush aside what remains of this year, and pin high hopes for better times on January 1. (Especially if this year has been a frustrating one, and you’re eager to leave it behind and make a fresh start.)
The cliches about being doomed to repeat history and learning from our mistakes are cliches because they contain a hard grain of truth.
Reflection is essential to growth, so I’d like to invite you to take a conscious pause and cultivate mindful awareness of the things in your business that are going right. Now is the perfect time to get centered in the right head- and heart-space for a great new year. Let go of the reactive and illusory "next year will be better" attitude, and access gratitude for your wins, lessons, and achievements in the year that is coming to a close!
Focus on gratitude as an inner action
Speaking of cliches, I know you might be up to your ears in gratitude-themed musings … but this is one of those rare times I’m gonna let myself be an unabashed bandwagon-jumper. Because cultivating gratitude during a time when everyone around you is also focusing their energies on gratitude practices amplifies everyone’s intentions. The gratitude mindset is all around you, resonant and supportive. Take advantage of that, and take time out for introspection.
… Then project thankfulness outward
On the flip side, business is all about relationships, and this time of year affords a wonderful opportunity to strengthen those relationships through the practice of gratitude. Do your utmost to express gratitude for every person your business has touched this year. And I mean every one of them—from members of your email list to people in your tribe to clients and colleagues—has encouraged more positive affect. Recognizing and appreciating their support grounds and centers you for the next few steps.
Count your business blessings
Since you’re an entrepreneur, you probably have mile-long lists of To-do’s and To-achieves. Ambitious goals are your forte, and that’s fabulous! But even if you didn’t meet this year’s stated goals, you likely had some big business wins. What were they? Count your business blessings and hand out gold stars where appropriate. Because wherever you are in business, there’s always a “next step,” always a new set of far-reaching, comfort-zone-pushing goals to tackle. But remembering to stop and appreciate how far you’ve come is one of the ways you keep your inspiration tank full and your passion for your business alive.
Take stock of what went right this year
Did you have offers, services, or products that really nailed it this year?
Did your promotional campaign blow your expectations out of the water?
Did that new VA you hired work out better than expected?
Cataloging and celebrating what went right for you in business this year is a great way to keep yourself focused for next year.
… And what went wrong
True, some endeavors in your business this year may have fallen flat. The retreat didn’t fill, the workshop didn’t go as planned, the group course wasn’t a success. Or maybe life got in the way and derailed your best-laid plans. But as any teacher will tell you, not all “failures” are bad things. Most failures are lessons in disguise. So, what did you learn? How did you show up in the situations you consider to be “failures”? How did you handle the business ventures that didn’t go as planned? What valuable lessons will you carry forward into the new year?
Failures aren’t fun, but they can be lessons.
Ground and center
It’s always the right time to ground, center, and re-vision. But before you whip out your vision boards, calendars, and rainbow of colored highlighters, take a moment to truly center in and listen to your intuition. Ground into your body with a yoga practice, a meditation practice, or a long walk in the woods to tune into your inner monologue.
Explore the edges of your vision for your business and note what you see there. Does your gut tell you that you’re still aligned and on track for your 5-year or 10-year vision? Is intuition pointing you in a different direction? Listen to yourself, take notes, and make adjustments as needed.
Because the amazing thing about a time of transition—like the limbo of a calendar year in its twilight weeks—is it brims with flexibility and possibility.
As you take stock of the year that’s passed and embrace gratitude practices, you will also gather insights for your business strategies for the year to come.
Gently and mindfully.
Want support? I’m here for you.
Women Entrepreneurs, NOW is the Time For Change
I launched my business as holistic business mentor to make waves. I wanted to empower my clients to empower their clients to live happier, healthier lives using the principles of conscious lifestyle. And I’ve dedicated the last 10 years of my life to that mission. I believe in change. I believe in the power of a tribe, a dedicated and motivated group of people on a shared mission to transform the world in actionable, concrete, lasting ways.
I launched my business as holistic business mentor to make waves. I wanted to empower my clients to empower their clients to live happier, healthier lives using the principles of conscious lifestyle. And I’ve dedicated the last 15 years of my life to that mission.
I believe in change. I believe in the power of a community, a dedicated and motivated group of people on a shared mission to transform the world in actionable, concrete, lasting ways.
I hope you'll agree that the world needs more of your voice. More voices speaking up for tolerance and speaking out against tyranny, more voices banding together, more voices supporting one another. But also more voices sharing the messages of conscious lifestyle, connection, healing, and harmony. Messages of renewal and self-care, consciousness and wide-open worldviews that are so essential during times of great upheaval.
And that's where you come in.
Whatever your specific modality, your work is transformation. As a healer, a helper, a coach, a guide, a mentor, a teacher, or a leader, you work for change and you believe change begins with you.
I believe that, too.
And for too long, I've kept silent about some of the real challenges facing female founders + holistic entrepreneurs who want to earn a meaningful living doing the purpose-fueled work of transformation. In no particular order, I’ve seen brilliant, gifted, driven women entrepreneurs grapple with:
Fear of worthiness, prominence, and power
Lack of trust in their abilities (and its cousin, Imposter Complex)
Difficulty setting boundaries and saying, “No”
The energetic toll of work that supports clients with deep-seated emotional needs
Fear of visibility, and of the intolerance that often comes with being a visible woman
Uneasiness with marketing
Distaste for self-promotion
Limiting beliefs around money
Choosing comfort over the discomfort of bold, intentional action
Putting others’ needs and desires first, letting business take the back-burner
I've worked with clients deeply in debt or on the verge of bankruptcy who were still under-charging, convinced they couldn’t ask clients for more money for their transformative services. I've witnessed despair and exhaustion in women entrepreneurs 10+ years into building their businesses, burned out and with no tangible assets to show for their hard work. I've listened to stories of women walking away from their heart-driven work because their ethics and their bank accounts felt misaligned. I've heard from hundreds of women entrepreneurs working in the transformative arts, eager to build sustainable incomes doing what they love … but failing to first learn the basics of business.
And I’m over it.
I want you to get a little mad. I want you to use the energy of that anger to reshape the reality of being a female entrepreneur in the business of personal transformation. I want you to get revved up and prime yourself to make some tough changes.
Because the world needs your work now more than ever. This is your moment. Our moment. And we need to embrace it with both arms.
Every single one of you who feels like you’re stuck in a tape-loop of repetitive suffering in your business, it’s time to break free.
Every single one of you who’s ready to effect real change in the world—and who feels driven to do that by sharing your purposeful work—it’s time to step up.
Every single one of you who’s ready to break through to better business—ethics intact—it’s time to push forward.
There’s no time like the present. Let’s do this.
Together.
Supporting each other every step of the way.
If reading this lit your inner flame, but you're not sure what to do next, I'm here to help stoke that intention into a fire of action. Apply here for a complimentary Breakthrough to Clarity coaching call and I'll listen, process, and advise. I promise to find ways to unlock phenomenal personal success while simultaneously continuing the work you do to heal our world
Keep Business Sweet, Simple (and Sustainable) for the Holidays
We holistic entrepreneurs and small business owners know that the winter holiday season can be rough. Hectic. Overwhelming and incredibly hard to manage. It’s meant to be a time of celebration and relaxation, but many of us opt for worry and stress instead. We get anxious over year-end numbers, scramble to throw together customer appreciation events, pressure ourselves to add new offerings, and gradually pile more items onto our already-full plates until we’re ready to keel over.
We holistic entrepreneurs and small business owners know that the winter holiday season can be rough. Hectic. Overwhelming and incredibly hard to manage. It’s meant to be a time of celebration and relaxation, but many of us opt for worry and stress instead. We get anxious over year-end numbers, scramble to throw together customer appreciation events, pressure ourselves to add new offerings, and gradually pile more items onto our already-full plates until we’re ready to keel over.
We’ve already chatted about maximizing your time during the holidays to fill offers and secure new clients, and I certainly don’t want you to abandon those tactics! But today, let’s look at the all-important flip-side: Simplification.
If—like many of us—your stress levels creep ever higher the closer we get to singing “Auld Lang Syne,” then clearing the decks, paring down your activities, AND planting seeds of intention for the new year are all beneficial practices. Let’s talk details.
Create a DON’T List
We all have time-sucking tasks that creep in when we’re avoiding harder or more complex work. Plust tasks that we enjoy and justify as important, even when we secretly know they’re non-essential. So if you’re someone who’s subject to Holiday Inundation Syndrome, force yourself to make a DON’T list of projects and activities that can be temporarily abandoned.
MICRO: List out three things you will NOT do today. Either make a new list each day, or enforce a single list throughout the season. (You’ll know what will work best for your specific business model … and bad habits!)
MACRO: Take a hard look at your business now that we’re rounding out the year. What worked? What didn’t? Slash what didn’t work, and you instantly have more bandwidth to build on what did work.
EXAMPLE: Streamline your offers to reduce the amount of confusion (for your clients) and overwhelm (for you). If you have multiple offers, packages, or services but several of them aren’t performing, now is the ideal time to slash the ones that don’t generate income. Train your focus on your top performers, and let the rest go.
Get Back to Basics
After you’ve considered what to put on hold or jettison entirely, ponder your non-negotiables. And I’m not talking about “paying the rent” or “making a profit,” I mean higher-level goals and deep-seated needs. Think back to why you love your work, and which aspects of it feel utterly essential. Then force yourself to simplify.
MICRO: Ask yourself, “Which self-care needs must be met for me to feel the way I most enjoy feeling—in business and in life?” Find ways to meet those needs every single day. Seriously.
MACRO: Ask yourself, “Which basic business practices MUST be in place for me to have a happier holiday season?” If you need help keeping those practices humming along, prioritize finding that help.
EXAMPLE: To give yourself more breathing room for self-care and the energy to focus on essential practices, front-load some of the promotional and back-of-office processes that need to run in the background. Pre-write blog posts, pre-schedule social media, automate your billing and invoicing, hire an assistant, do whatever it takes to ensure you can pare down your activities without missing a beat.
Take Baby Steps Toward World Domination (for the Greater Good)
As the year draws to a close, we all end up doing some goal-setting for the year that approaches. But typical resolutions don’t always work for conscious entrepreneurs. So instead, I’d encourage you to gaze into the (near) future by portioning your big visions and dreams into achievable action steps. And challenging yourself to take action on one thing every day.
MICRO: Define your primary purpose in this world for more inspiration and energy. Take time to journal, self-study, or reflect on what you feel you are truly meant to do. Try boiling it down to a single mission statement or summary. (Mine is “I am here to be the person I needed.”) Stuck? Try this formula: I'm a ___. I help ___ [do]___ so they can _____.
MACRO: Once you define your big dreams for your business (and life), the next step is putting a timeframe around them. What aspects of your Big Vision will fit into the span of a single year? How about 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?
EXAMPLE: If your goal is to help as many people as possible heal their relationships with their bodies, make a list of organizations doing similar work and connect with them via email or social media, one per day. When you run out, research individuals doing similar work, and connect with one per day. Soon you’ll have a robust network of like-minded healers, and the ability to reach and help a much larger pool of people.
It’s so easy for me to command you to simplify your practices, and far more complicated for you to actually DO it. I know, and I want you to know that I know. But here’s the thing: If you want to make it through this holiday season with less stress, more focus, and a mindset that will prime you for a truly amazing year to come, simplification is the only way to fly. And I hope these suggestions will help you do just that.
Need help finding more concrete examples of how to pare down your practices? Come on over to the Conscious Kula and hit us up for ideas!
Want more clients as a Coach Healer or Helper? Solve problems
We’re officially in the home stretch of 2016. (Can you believe it? Where did the year go?!?) Before we know it, the supremely-exciting-but-somewhat-draining holiday mayhem will be upon us. And if selling services is your primary revenue stream, you probably know what that means: fewer new clients signing up, and current offers remaining unfilled as customer attention shifts to gift-shopping excursions and family gatherings.
Business is about solving problems.
The more clear you become on the specific problems you solve for particular clients, the more success you’ll have in your business and marketing efforts.
As a coach, your focus is to help your clients achieve their goals. To connect with potential clients, it's essential to identify the specific problems they want to solve. Good businesses solve problems, but not just any problem – a specific, urgent problem that the potential client is actively looking to solve.
By conceptualizing your business's products and services as solutions to specific, urgent problems that your perfect-fit clients want to solve, you've already done half the work of selling your products and services. Besides, when you are able to reframe your marketing efforts from “all about you” to “all about the problems you’ll solve for your clients” it becomes much easier to show up consistently and share your message.
To attract your perfect-fit clients, you need to identify the problem you solve as —and for whom. The specific problem your business services solve might not be the problem other coaches, healers, or holistic practitioners solve: or you might solve the same problem but for different perfect-fit clients.
Before you go any further in planning your programs, services, or packages ensure you are addressing problems worth solving:
Problems your perfect-fit clients know they have
Your potential clients have hidden problems that they may not know how to fix. Or that they don’t even know are the cause of the surface problems they KNOW they have.
Attempting to solve these “unknown” problems will backfire if your potential clients aren't motivated to find and fix the underlying problem.
For example, if you are a Life Coach who helps clients transition to a healthier mindset, you need to target clients who are motivated to improve their outlook on life. The chronic complainers need your services but they don’t know they have a problem (yet).
Problems your customer cares about addressing
Your potential clients must be aware of the problem that needs solving and care about solving the problem.
In fact, these are the most valuable types of problems for you as a coach to solve because your client is motivated to solve them.
For example, if you are a coach who specializes in career transitions, you need to target clients who are motivated to find a new career path, who are on every job search platform, and who are actively seeking support in their career transition.
What problem(s) do you solve?
Identify the higher-order problems your business solves for a particular client.
Once you clarify these problems, you can develop your unique solution (which is the fun part!).
Solving a valuable problem that your perfect-fit client is aware of, in a unique way, while providing excellent service, is a recipe for success.
By identifying and solving specific, urgent problems that your perfect-fit clients want to solve, you can attract more clients to your healing, helping or coaching business.
How to Stay Proactive When Life Gets in the Way
“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” - John Lennon
Eloquent words from a modern poet-prophet, to be sure. But sometimes, life isn’t limited to the swirl of activities on the sidelines of your work and ambitions. Sometimes life actually monkeys with the plans you’ve made. Life can be hurricanes and broken legs, busted carburetors and cancelled flights, sick kids and lost dogs. Sometimes life is an unexpected mini-disaster that brings everything to a grinding halt. Sometimes life is the hulking bully who runs down the beach to stomp all over the exquisite sandcastle you’ve been building all day long.
You can be meticulous and careful, have capable staff on-call to help in emergencies and a half-dozen backup plans … and still get screwed by natural disasters, germs, or planned obsolescence. No matter how diligent you are in your business plans and entrepreneurial actions, sometimes life steps in and derails you.
I watched this happen to a dear friend of mine just last week, so it’s top-of-mind for me now. And I realized that many of you lovely readers could likely benefit from the advice I gave to reassure her that all was not lost. (And to prevent her from constantly hyperventilating.)
Here are some simple, smart actions you can take when life throws roadblocks onto your path to success:
Simplify your business plan
Remember: 80% of your income is the result of 20% of your efforts. Your top-performing classes or offerings are always exponentially more profitable than less popular ones, so when life gets hairy, cut the dead weight. Identify that uber-profitable 20%, and simplify your business to that / those offers. Even if this is just a temporary switch, it can make life in emergency mode SO much more manageable. Need support identifying that 20%?
Choose one point of focus per week / month / quarter
Conscious entrepreneurs are chronic multi-taskers., and we tend to try to do everything ourselves. It’s a risky way to operate, but many of us make it work right up until the studio floods or the server crashes. When that finally happens, we are forced to focus. Focus is practical magic and the more you can laser in on the things that need to happen to move your business forward, the easier juggling everything else will become. Separate the day-to-day operations tasks from the growth tasks, and assign out the former to trusted employees. Pick a single item from the latter group to tackle each week, month, or quarter. Just one. That’s plenty. And focusing on it will help you feel productive and forward-looking even when you’re functioning in the wake of catastrophe.
Stay narrow and strong
Which of your regular responsibilities, roles, or offers are causing your now-limited energy to dissipate? The more you stay in your strength zone—your zone of genius where your unique magic lies—the less of a drain your business will be. And it’s essential that you conserve and manage your energy in times of crisis. Not sure what your zone of genius is or how to identify your unique magic? I’ve got you covered right here!
Let it go
Let’s be real: Sometimes life happens and you absolutely have to breathe into the holes that it creates in your business. Let it go and ride the wave: this too shall pass. (Even if it feels like it never will.) Remember to be gentle with yourself as you put the pieces back together. Ease yourself back into the swing of things when you can, but don’t apply any undue pressure.
Self-care is a business strategy
Speaking of which, never forget to listen to your needs and ask for help when catastrophe comes a’callin’. You are the beating-heart center of your business, so self-care is absolutely a business strategy! Identify three or four self-care practices that encourage you to feel vibrant, healthy, capable, and strong. Then stick to those come heck or high water. Promise me!
Find a community
If you’re in the throes of a business-derailing disaster right now, I sincerely hope some of these tips feel do-able to you. But if not—or if you could use an extra shot of support and empathy—come join us at the Conscious Entrepreneur’s Kula. Don’t go thinking this is “just an online community.” This amazing group knows how to help, heal, and nourish its members, and we’ve always got room for one more.
Crises can teach us essential lessons and illuminate what’s most important in our lives. But that doesn’t make them any more fun to live through. The next time life gets in the way of your plans, use these strategies to keep yourself moving forward.
Breaking the Cycle: Push Beyond Strategy Into Action
Have you started changing your “what ifs” to “what thens” yet? I know it might sound like a laughably miniscule shift, but take it from me: changing your internal monologue can totally transform your mindset. Even though we take them for granted almost every day, words are powerful. Language is life-changing. Just ask Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King, Brene Brown or Malala Yousafzai. The right words can change the world for the better. And that includes the inner world of your personal aspirations and ambitions.
Have you started changing your “what ifs” to “what thens” yet? I know it might sound like a laughably miniscule shift, but take it from me: changing your internal monologue can totally transform your mindset. Even though we take them for granted almost every day, words are powerful. Language is life-changing. Just ask Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King, Brene Brown or Malala Yousafzai. The right words can change the world for the better. And that includes the inner world of your personal aspirations and ambitions.
Answers aren’t actions
If you’ve already committed to the forward-thinking, preparedness-minded language of “what then,” kudos to you! Right now, you may be digging into the work of releasing your fears and building out contingency plans ... OR you may be spinning your wheels. You have some rough ideas of how to answer those daunting questions:
If I can’t pay my bills this month, what then?
If I launch a program and no-one enrolls, what then?
If I raise my rates and no-one buys from me, what then?
But even with answers in-hand, you may still fear moving forward. If you can’t pay your bills and decide that your Plan B is to borrow from your retirement fund, you may dread how your partner or family may react. If you lose customers after raising your rates and choose more aggressive marketing as your solution, you may cringe at the thought of kicking self-promotion into high-gear. You’ve got answers now, and you’ve got backups. But you may still be frozen in place.
Strategy and beyond
Action that moves us closer to our goals requires strategy. You can’t just fling yourself at a goal and hope you’ll land on the bull’s eye, you’ve gotta have a plan. A plan with a series of logical steps, built-in community support, and research on expected outcomes. Not a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants plan, a thought-out, coach-or-colleague vetted, planful plan. (Need help with this step? I’m here for ya!)
And, of course, crafting a fully fledged long-term strategy is a huge first step, but it’s not enough. Implementing this strategy requires intentional action. And I mean showing up every day and chipping away at the activities and changes you’ve identified as essential.
But that can be scary. It pushes you to your growth edge - that uncomfortable place where you have to choose between the familiar and the future - and forces you to think about your business in different, challenging ways.
Fear can lead to avoidance.
Avoidance makes you to downshift into easy, brainless, maintenance tasks.
Piling on the little, ineffective actions drains your energy.
And then you’ve landed back to square one where you’re filling your days with busywork and studiously ignoring the big picture. Your goals sit in a corner, neglected and forlorn. And maybe crying just a little bit.
Accountability is the antidote
Nobody wants forlorn goals, am I right? We want our goals lively and vibrant and cheering us on at every turn. We want goals that excite and motivate us
And, as it turns out, a community of lively, vibrant people who cheer you on at every turn can help make just about any goal feel more achievable. Going it alone allows you to fall down endless rabbit holes of worry and fear, ending up in a state of analysis paralysis. Connecting with others can help you talk through your fears, break through to action, and make real progress.
@@ A community of lively, vibrant people who cheer you on can make just about any goal feel achievable. @@
Struggling to find a community in your own neck of the woods? The Kula is always open to new members, and a phenomenal place to practice accountability among open-minded, supportive e-friends. Won’t you join us?
Two words that can make or break your business.
So, we've talked about how "doing it all" is overrated. And it absolutely is! Focusing your efforts on strategic, key tasks is the only way to fly.
Buuuuuut ... let's take a moment to acknowledge that honing in on those key tasks and letting go of schedule-clogging, energy-sapping activities can be daunting. After all, some of those schedule-clogging, energy-sapping activities are the ones you could do in your sleep, and others yield instant positive feedback. Work like this sometimes FEELS more productive than big-picture work because it's done in the moment and we see results in the moment.
Doing it all is overrated.
Focusing your efforts on strategic, key tasks is the only way to fly.
Buuuuuut ... let's take a moment to acknowledge that honing in on those key tasks and letting go of schedule-clogging, energy-sapping activities is daunting. After all, some of those schedule-clogging, energy-sapping activities are the ones you could do in your sleep, and others yield instant positive feedback. Work like this sometimes FEELS more productive than big-picture work because it's done in the moment and we see results in the moment.
The risk of keeping ourselves busy with these non-strategic tasks is that we get stuck. We end up treading water - sometimes very much on purpose - to avoid tackling bigger, scarier decisions and getting serious about growing our businesses. And when we finally start to dial in those strategic tasks? Fear shows up. Fear of risk and failure, waste and embarrassment, trashing all progress and having to start over from scratch. When fear climbs into the driver's seat, wrenching back control of the wheel can feel impossible.
I believe thoughts compel behavior.
I believe we can change our thoughts.
In changing our thoughts, we can change our behavior.
Really, I believe in the power of language.
There are two words that can make or break your business.
What if.
What if I don’t make it?
What if I can’t pay my bills this month?
What if my website gets hacked?
What if I launch a program and no-one enrolls?
What if I raise my rates and no-one buys from me?
What if I spend 3 months writing a book and no-one wants to publish/buy/read it?
Instead of what if-fing yourself to death, hit the pause on this disturbing thought train and choose a more productive line of inquiry.
What then?
If I don’t make it [this time], what then?
If I can’t pay my bills this month, what then?
If my website gets hacked, what then?
If I launch a program and no-one enrolls, what then?
If I raise my rates and no-one buys from me, what then?
If I spend 3 months writing a book and no-one wants to publish/buy/read it, what then?
What then may have a similar end clause to what if. The difference is in the result.
What if leaves you grasping for straws, what then leaves you prepared to take your next steps. Building a thriving business is not the path of least resistance. In order to thrive, there are so many lessons that we need to learn.
And in changing your thought process from what if to what then, there are two very important lessons.
@@What if leaves you grasping for straws, what then leaves you prepared to take your next steps @@
(1) Let Go of Fear
The unknown is innately terrifying. And what if, takes us deep into the terror—creating worst-case scenarios and forcing us to stew in that fear. But we all know that fear doesn’t serve us.
Fear holds us back from success by preventing us from even trying. Fear causes us to guard our hearts—keeping us from showing the very vulnerability that makes us human (and in turn develops trust!). Fear keeps us from making investments in our businesses and in our education—what if I don’t make my money back on this investment?
Guess what? The fear never goes away. We just get better at letting go of it and acting anyway.
(2) Always have a plan B (and maybe a C & D)
Let’s get very clear on something—letting go of fear does not mean being reckless. It does mean letting go of the negative thought patterns, beliefs and behaviors that are keeping you from deeply trusting yourself – and your mission in the world.
Stop playing the what if game with yourself, because you’re only feeding a fear-monster that doesn’t serve you. BUT don’t ignore the fact that things do not always work out as we would like.
The possibility of failure is huge—especially for new entrepreneurs who are just starting to build a following.
Prepare for any outcome by changing your language from what if, to what then.
Knowing how you are going to pick up the pieces and move forward is invaluable. It has the power to reduce anxiety and reduced anxiety will increase confidence and, in turn, increase your potential for success.
@@Prepare for any outcome by changing your language from what if, to what then.@@
Your Dream Clients can sense your confidence or lack thereof—even if they can’t quite put their fingers on it. Amazingly enough, boosting your confidence is as simple as changing just two words. Those two words are the difference between being scared and being strategic.
To more sacred strategy,