What’s Your Muddled Messaging COSTING you?
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on June 9, 2011 - 1:24 pm
I’ve been hearing from a lot of experts and entrepreneurs lately and they’re all struggling with a common problem. I can’t say I’m surprised by their dilemma, as it’s one my clients come to me to resolve. I’m wondering if this problem is plaguing you, too.
Is your messaging muddled? And if so, what’s it COSTING you?
Beyond the obvious financial losses, there are plenty of other ways your muddled messaging may be costing you and your business BIG TIME – and without you even knowing it!
In case you’re not clear on what being UNCLEAR is really costing you, here are just some of the urgent questions you need to be asking yourself…
1. How much money are you losing to your competition because they’ve perfected their social branding, mastered their unique messaging hooks, and unlocked the secrets of creating consistent and conscious clamor (and you HAVEN’T)?
2. How many of your ideal clients and customers have circled you and gone away, unclear why they need you, why you’re a necessity not a luxury, and/or how they can work with you?
3. Are you losing the respect of your colleagues and peers who have learned to tune you out because they find you irrelevant? (Ouch! Bono says being relevant is so much harder than being successful. I agree!)
4. Do media and speaking opportunities slip through your fingers and land in your competition’s lap (and are you sick of this happening)?
5. Are you feeling bogged down, burned out, or bummed out by the lackluster results your business is bringing in?
6. Now that half the year is over, are you wondering how you’ll EVER make an impact or get discovered on the level you know you’re capable of?
These are just SOME of the costs you incur by not being clear about your messaging.
Mastering your messaging isn’t rocket science. It can actually be easy and fun. Below, I’m going to walk you through my 3 step process for creating masterful messaging. These are actual examples from the work I do with my private clients.
Step 1: Identify a topic you’d like to share with your audience, based on your area of expertise
For my client Sharon Otness Foot, a health and wellness coach, she wanted to talk about the importance of doing a nutritional cleanse or dietary detox. Now, I don’t know about you, but if Sharon approached me and invited me to participate in a dietary detox, I’d be running for the hills! So this is just the first step of this process. We’re getting the idea or messaging down on paper.
Step 2: Identify the benefits your topic offers your ideal clients and customers
To master your messaging, it’s important to focus on the WHY of your topic. In this step, Sharon shared that after a detox, her clients feel healthier, refreshed, and radiant. Now those words got me buzzing, because those are benefits I think most people aspire to. So we were definitely on to something here!
Step 3: Juicify your topic into what I call a Hot Topic
Once Sharon sold me on the benefits of doing a cleanse, I realized that doing a cleanse isn’t about being DEPRIVED, which is how I think most of us see a detox. It’s actually about being REPLENISHED. But who wants to invest in being replenished? Where’s the sizzle in that? In Step 3, it’s time to juicify your subject into what I call your Hot Topic. This is here Sharon and I came up with Rev Up Your Radiance. Oh yeah!
Do you see how transitioning from dietary detox to Rev Up Your Radiance helps Sharon master her messaging, stand out, and attract her ideal clients and customers?
And do you see how easy it was to go from muddled messaging to message mastery?
Once Sharon mastered her messaging, she was able to easily and effortlessly convert a room of 30 potential customers into 20 paying clients. Think these Rev Up Your Radiance customers would have paid for a dietary detox? Hell to the no!
This is one of my absolute favorite processes to take my clients through. And it gets them results every time!
When my client Darcy Skye got clear that she offers creative professionals the ability to unlock and unblock their inner artistic resources through profound energy work, she started booking her energetic healing sessions out of a high end spa in Manhattan.
When my client Bonnie Stern realized that she wasn’t simply selling Sex Butter, an organic sexual product and instead was leading a movement that empowered women to live and love their beautiful bodies AND enjoy a more fulfilling sex life, she started attracting customers left and right.
Mastering your messaging is KEY to your success in the social space. Whether you’re posting on social media, sending out a newsletter, shooting a video series, writing a new blog, or attending a new networking event, giving your elevator pitch, or delivering a signature speech to a room full of your ideal clients, you MUST master your messaging or it will cost you thousands, if not hundreds of thousands in lost income and opportunity. I don’t mean to scare you, but this is the new reality. And I don’t want you to miss out on making all the money you desire and deserve and creating the greatest impact you want on the world.
I’m devoting 2 full weeks in my upcoming 8 Week More Clamor, Clients, and Cash Teleclass to mastering your messaging. That’s how important I know it is! This is work I’ve never shared outside my work with private clients. But I want YOU to master your messaging so you’re no longer in the dark about how to attract clients, fans, opportunities, and money to you this summer.
Class starts June 20th. To grab your spot in the teleclass, sign up here:
http://www.moreclamorclientscash.com/
The next 4 people who sign up will receive a FREE private phone coaching session with me where we’ll master your messaging one on one. Hurry! These will go fast.
Are You Confusing Your Fans Before They Become Clients?
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on May 31, 2011 - 8:04 am
In the last few weeks, I’ve been sharing the top hurdles I see women in business struggling to leap over in their journey towards taking their Brilliance to the Bank. If you’re trying to build a rock solid platform so you can attract a book deal, get a corporate sponsor, build a rock star social brand, get your product into major retailers, find strategic partners, create CLAMOR, get on TV, have Oprah’s people call your people, it’s essential to overcome any hurdle in your way. So let’s talk about the final of 3 hurdles you may find yourself stumbling over, as well as some quick and easy tools to overcome any obstacle:
3. Fans and potential clients don’t know what you offer or how to work with you
OK, so you’ve gotten clear about what you have to offer, revisited your story and started sharing how your mess turned into your message, and even unlocked the secrets of fine tuning your broadcast frequency. And you’re STILL not making the money you in your business deserve.
Time to give up?
Hell to the no! But it may be time to educate your potential customers about how they can work with you.
The truth is, people ultimately buy YOU, not your product, service, or program. If that’s the case, and you’re already actively engaging your fan base consistently on social media, on your blog, in videos, and through your ezine, what’s still not working for you? Clearly, your customers know, like, and trust you.
But do they know why they NEED you?
The key to successfully transitioning a fan into a client/customer is to educate yourself AND your audience on the following:
What You Offer
Do you have something bite sized that your potential customers can invest in to get a taste of you? An ebook, free audio program, video series that enrolls them in your mission/movement for FREE or less than $20? Remember, this is just the beginning of the customer relationship. Don’t try to sell them into a 5 figure program because you need the money. Remember, this is a RELATIONSHIP. Treat your fans with respect and they’ll become repeat buyers.
Why You Are A Necessity vs. Luxury
A fan becomes a client when they know WHY they need you. And most fans aren’t motivated to invest in luxury items, which is why your success relies on your ability to communicate why you and your brand, business, product, service are not a luxury but instead a necessity. To accurately communicate this with your audience, start by answering these important questions…
What problem do you solve?
What pain do you resolve?
When you can answer this clearly and concisely for yourself, you can share these answers with your potential fans and clients. In doing so, help better understand the value of working with you and why they NEED to invest in you NOW rather than later.
What’s The VALUE/ROI Of Working With You?
Whether working with you or purchasing from you has a monetary benefit or not, it’s important to identify the payoffs your customers receive from investing with you. Do they make more money, lose weight, find love, transform their life, etc? By getting clear and specific about what the payoff is from working with you, you can better communicate the value of your services and more easily enroll someone in your product or service.
Are you beginning to see how understanding your own value and what you have to offer will help convert fans into clients and clients into lifelong loyal customers? Share your thoughts on how overcoming this hurdle will help YOU take your Brilliance to the Bank! Post a comment here or share on social media.
For more on mastering your messaging, building a rock star social brand, and cashing in on your expertise, visit http://www.30daysofbrilliance.com/
How Are You Broadcasting Your Brand?
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on May 23, 2011 - 7:56 am
Last week, I shared that I’ve been hearing from a lot of Brilliant women in business who have yet to take their Brilliance to the Bank. I also revealed the first of 3 hurdles I see women struggling to overcome when it comes to monetizing their mission. This week, I’m excited to share Hurdle #2.
2. You’re not broadcasting wide enough
If you’re trying to build a rock solid platform so you can attract a book deal, get a corporate sponsor, build a rock star social brand, create CLAMOR, get on TV, have Oprah’s people call your people, you must start by fine tuning your broadcasting channel.
Just like ABC, CBS, and NBC, unless a viewer’s antennae, satellite dish, or cable provider is finely tuned to broadcast YOU, your viewers cannot find you. It’s not that you don’t have great content, a heartfelt message, or you brilliant business idea. Plain and simple, your message isn’t reaching the masses because your message isn’t being broadcast wide enough.
How does this affect your business? If you’ve got the most amazing product, service, or program, but nobody knows who you are or how to find you, your audience will change the channel in 2 seconds and find a different frequency to watch, invest in, learn from, and champion.
In the era of 24/7 information, it’s never been easier to become obsolete in an instant. Not that bad news. That’s actually good news! Once you find tune your frequency, you can reach the masses in meaningful and magnetic waves. But it’s up to you to broadcast a wide enough net so that you can be seen, heard, discovered, and celebrated.
Here are a few examples of how to better broadcast your message to the masses:
• Identify where your target market is online and consistently show up there
From article syndication to videos to blog entries to social media to broadcast media, it’s never been easier or more affordable to connect to your potential clients and customers. You don’t need to pay an expensive publicist or buy expensive advertising. Simply find where your customers spend their time online and show up there consistently, engaging and interacting in compelling ways. Don’t overtly SELL. Listen, engage, ask questions, share resources, and be the channel for their particular needs.
• Create compelling CLAMOR that enrolls your customers and your movement
I love showing my clients how to create compelling CLAMOR online so they can stand out from the other social noise their competition is making. How do you do this? I’ve got a 6 step signature process for creating CLAMOR that you can read about here. The key is to match the energetic frequency of your potential clients and focus on how you want them to feel. After all, people buy from people they know, like, and trust. If you lead with Buy My Product, you’ll instantly turn people off. If you start by creating a relationship with someone online, they’re all the more likely to eventually buy something from you. This process takes time. Don’t be in this for a quick fix. Commit to lifelong relationships with your fans, regardless of whether they ever become a customer or client. At the very least, they’ll evangelize your mission and share it with their friends and fans. (If you remember nothing else from this article, remember this: Fans are just as valuable as customers and clients!)
• Be consistent
This can be challenging for the busy business owner. But the truth is, in order to enroll people in your mission and movement, you must be consistent. Think about it this way: If American Idol wasn’t consistently on Wednesday and Thursday nights, and instead was broadcast randomly on different stations at different times in different days, would you tune in? How would you know where to find it? Would you care enough to search for it? Some of us would. A lot of us wouldn’t. That’s why consistency is key. You must show up consistently on social media, on your blog, in your article marketing, on your video channels, in your e-zines, ends with your free call. Otherwise, how can people discover your broadcast channel, consistently tune in, and share you with their friends and fans?
Share your thoughts on how overcoming this hurdle will help YOU take your Brilliance to the Bank! Post a comment here or share on social media.
For more tips on broadening how you broadcast your brand, become an instant expert, and cash in on the business of YOU, visit http://30daysofbrilliance.com/
What Martha Stewart told my husband about branding…
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on May 20, 2011 - 12:50 pm
A few weeks ago, I was a keynote speaker at Savor The Success’ Rock The World Conference in New York.
The night before I was slated to open the conference, I had dinner with my husband, who was also in Manhattan and had just attended Wired Magazine’s Disruptive By Design Conference.
Over dinner, my husband shared the impressive lineup of speakers he’d heard from that day. They included Bill Gates, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, and Martha Stewart.
“Baby,” my husband gushed, inspired by the powerful day he’d just experienced, “EVERYONE was talking about the power of branding.”
This wasn’t exactly news to me.
After all, I was set to open the conference the very next morning by talking about the power of building a rock star social brand.
Still, I was intrigued by the idea of what Martha Stewart had to say about branding. In my mind, her empire is brilliantly branded. Love her or hate her, you probably own her towels, bedding, pots and pans, read her magazine, watch her TV shows, and/or cheered when she went to prison.
My husband began sharing what Martha Stewart had shared with him and the other conference attendees about branding. And it rocked my world so much that I incorporated it into my speech the next day, and have been buzzing about it ever since.
Can I share it with you, too?
Martha talked about the power and importance of MAXIMIZING your brand
First, she emphasized the importance of creating compelling content and giving it away for free, which she does on her website http://www.marthastewart.com/.
Martha’s example was writing an article about how to create the perfect omlette.
She then emphasized the importance of re-using that content in her magazine, Martha Stewart Living, where she might feature an article including omlette recipes.
She then talked about the importance of creating viral video, in which she might do a whole video series about how to make, flip, present, and eat the perfect omlette. You could find these videos on YouTube, on her website, and on any partner websites like Macys or Kmart, where you might want to purchase the amazing Martha Stewart-branded omlette pan and spatula, which she would have licensed to a company who makes cookware.
Talk about maximizing your brand!
Do you have a plan to maximize YOUR brand? Starting with free compelling content, how do you enroll YOUR audience in your expertise, engage with them on social media, transforming them into loyal fans who then sign up for your branded programs or services, who can also purchase your branded products and become an eva ngelist by sharing you and your brand with their friends and fans?
What’s YOUR plan to maximize YOUR brand?
Honestly, unless you’re maximizing your brand’s potential, you’re leaving money on the table.
You’re also NOT broadcasting your brand to a broad enough audience, and missing out on sharing your brilliance with the world in big and bold ways.
Ultimately, you’re not able to serve the world in the unique way you have been divinely directed if you cannot maximize your brand.
But don’t worry. I’m not leaving you in the lurch.
Next week, I’m hosting 2 rock star calls on how to create MORE Clients, Clamor, and Cash for your business by maximizing your brand’s potential.
On Monday, I’ve invited my amazing friend Sharon Jakubecy to join us and reveal her success secrets for How to Transform Your Power Into Powerful Performance. Specifically, we’ll be talking about how to best embody your brand, sha re your brilliance with the world in bigger, bolder ways, and create a powerful presence that magnetizes your ideal clients.
Then on Wednesday, I’ll reveal how you can instantly create MORE clients, clamor, and cash by channeling your very own Sacha Fierce persona and rocking your social brand.
You won’t want to miss these 2 calls, so even if you can’t make them live, sign up to get the free recordings here: http://bitly.com/clamorcalls
Got questions about how to maximize your brand?
Email ask@lisasteadman.com and I’ll answer your questions LIVE next week.
Until then, start brainstorming on how YOU can maximize your brand, starting with compelling free content, and then how to translate that into signature services, rock star branding, and irresistible offer.
Mess or Message? Why Your Rock Star Social Brand May Be Confusing!
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on May 16, 2011 - 9:33 am
In the last two weeks, I’ve been on a speaking tour and talking to a lot of entrepreneurs about their businesses. Specifically, I’ve been hearing from a lot of women in business who are truly brilliant, and yet…
They’re still breaking even, or worse – they’re broke.
The truth is, it doesn’t matter how brilliant you are if you are not monetizing that brilliance in big and bold ways. While the big and bold ways you take your brilliance to the bank will differ depending on your industry, niche, business model, and goals, one thing remains the same.
No one gets into business to be broke or break even.
That includes YOU. If you and your brilliance are in a state of being broke or breaking even, don’t despair. There IS a better way. It’s time to stop treating your business like a hobby and start monetizing your big ideas.
Stumped on how to take your brilliance to the bank? Over the next few weeks, I’ll reveal the top 3 hurdles I see entrepreneurs struggle to master when it comes to monetizing their brilliance.
Here’s the first hurdle:
1. You’re not a clear as you think you are
If you’re not making all the money your business deserves, it’s not a sign that you’re a failure. You just need to go back and revisit what’s happening in your business. You may think you’re clear about who you are and what you offer, but if people aren’t clamoring for your products, services, special offers, and programs, now is an excellent time to go back to the drawing board. Ask yourself these questions:
• Am I telling my story in a compelling way?
Now would be a good time to rewrite your story, including some of the more painful pieces that you may have pushed out of the picture but actually serve your clients. For example, I never used to talk about my branding background in corporate America. I felt like my experience of building my own rockstar social brand as the Queen of Breakups was enough. It wasn’t until I shared ALL of my story, including my painful breakup with corporate America, my ex boyfriend, and my struggles with physical pain that I started magnetizing my audience in bigger, bolder ways. What part of your story are you not telling? How can you transform your mess into your message so that the masses know why they need you, care about you, and want to follow you?
• Am I trying to appeal to everyone?
Be honest — Are you trying to appeal to every person on the planet? I so, you will most likely appeal to none. So many entrepreneurs are afraid to claim their brilliance because they fear that there won’t be enough fans, clients, and customers for them. The truth is, until you’re willing to get uber specific about who you serve and how you help them, you cannot separate yourself from your competition, celebrate your unique distinctions, and magnetically attract the absolutely perfect client for you and to you. Who cares if you don’t magnetize EVERYONE? There’s plenty to go around and the sooner you celebrate that fact, the easier it will be to attract your ideal customer.
• Have I connected the energy of my business to the language I use?
Regardless of what industry you’re in, energetics are a big piece of the puzzle. Once you know how you want your fans, customers, and clients to feel, you can create an energetic language that will magnetically attract your ideal fans and customers, AND discover your unique hook that will reel those ideal customers to you.
Let me give you an example. One of my rock star clients Kelly Lynn Adams came to me because she wanted to own her expertise in bigger, bolder ways, get more clients, and learn how to stand out in a crowded marketplace of coaches and entrepreneurs. At first, Kelly’s distinction was that she was a life and business coach who sells Arbonne and loves being a Jersey Girl. Now, this is all really great, but it’s convoluted in terms of positioning, and nobody quite knew what Kelly offered.
As we started working together, it became clear that Kelly’s mission is to empower women to live their best lives and enjoy a fulfilling career, all while embodying their gutsy, gorgeous, and going for it selves. Do you see how we’re getting clearer?
Kelly liked Gutsy, Glam, and Going For It as a tagline, but she wanted a deeper, more personal distinction, as she also wanted to work with some of the brilliant reality TV stars coming out of New Jersey these days.
That’s when we co-created this distinction: Kelly Lynn Adams, The Juicy Jersey Girl Guru: Gutsy, Girlie, and Going For It!
Do you see how getting that clear and specific is a total bull’s-eye for Kelly and letsher potential fans, clients, and customers know if she’s the right coach to work with?
First, were incorporating all aspects of Kelly’s story, including being a rough and tumble Jersey Girl who’s also a girlie girl who loves makeup and glam AND takes action to make her dreams come true.
Second, we’re creating such a distinction that not everyone is going to resonate with The Juicy Jersey Girl Guru. And that’s fantastic. By creating her distinction, we draw a line in the sand and allow Kelly’s fan base to decide if they are in or out.
And third, we then created hot topics and an energetic language that magnetizes the RIGHT customers to Kelly. For example, one of her recent blog posts was “Business Lessons I Learned on a Stripper Pole.” Now, that’s not a message all women in business can get away with. But The Juicy Jersey Girl Guru? She can rock that topic like nobody’s business! And she did, garnering over 100 LIKES on Facebook in the first 48 hours she posted it.
Because of these distinctions and this work, Kelly will only magnetically attract people who get and appreciate her unique distinction. The same is true for you. Be willing to get distinct, stand out, and draw the same line in the sand for your potential fans, clients, and customers.
Share your thoughts on how overcoming this hurdle will help YOU take your Brilliance to the Bank! Post a comment here or share on social media.
If Your Business Was Your Boyfriend, Is It Time To Break Up?
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on March 15, 2011 - 7:14 pm
“We’re in the ‘working on it’ phase.”
“Sometimes we fight, but we love each other, too.”
“We beat each other up last month (this is my first abusive experience in a relationship).”
Lately I’ve been talking to a lot of women business owners, and the way they’re describing their businesses sounds a lot like the way some women talk about the men in their lives. Especially men we would call “bad boys.”
Can I let you in on a little secret? Two years ago, I was in an abusive relationship with MY business. I was so committed to catapulting my business to the next level that I vowed to do whatever it took.
I worked around the clock. Evenings. Weekends. Holidays.
I tuned out my friends. I barely called my parents. And I hate to admit it, but I was actually THANKFUL my husband traveled during the week for work. That way, I could squeeze in a half-hearted phone call to him every night, and pay attention to him on the weekend … in between networking events, client chasing, and the general craziness I had created.
I stopped working out. Stopped sleeping well. And stopped taking care of me.
Sure, I got results. Amazing results! But the price I paid was too high. My health deteriorated. My marriage with my husband suffered. And I felt like a slave to getting my next client.
I also felt disappointed I wasn’t getting better results. I was reading everyone’s e-zines and Facebook posts about how AMAZING their lives, businesses, and bank accounts were. And while I was bringing in six figures, I was also reinvesting every last penny back into my dysfunctional relationship. As my new CFO says, if you make six or seven figures and spend six or seven figures, you’re still at zero, and that’s not a healthy business model.
I was so singularly focused on MAKING my business work that I couldn’t recognize my intensity and obsessive behavior were the reasons my business and my life were so out of balance. I had lost all perspective. And I began to resent my business.
I’m willing to bet that if you’re reading this, you can relate. And I have to tell you some bad news: If my story feels like your story, you and your business may be headed for a nasty breakup.
I don’t want that for you. And you don’t want that either, right? So let’s look at the top five reasons why you may have lost that loving feeling for your business:
1. You’re not getting the results you want and feel incredibly disappointed.
2. You ignore your own successes and instead compare your business to everyone else’s, feeling like a total failure.
3. No offense, Tim Gunn, but you’re operating out of a “make-it-work” mentality and a “have-to” space. You feel contracted, rigid, unbalanced, and MISERABLE.
4. You’re overworked, overwhelmed, and frustrated that you’re not getting farther ahead financially.
5. You feel like you’re giving up too much of yourself and not getting enough in return.
Whew! I’m exhausted just reviewing the many ways I used to resent my bad boyfriend of a business. Fortunately, there is a better way. A more balanced way. A healthier and happier way to do business. And I’d like to share this NEW way of re-ENGAGING with your business.
As Beyonce says, “If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it!”
Instead of being that slave to your unhealthy relationship with your business, here’s my 3 step formula for falling back in love, getting engaged, and putting a nice ring on your finger:
1. Admit what’s happening.
Be honest first with yourself. Don’t judge yourself. Instead celebrate that by owning how you feel, you set those negative feelings free.
2. Ask for help.
Next, enlist support in falling back in love with your business. Hire a coach, find a mentor, get into a mastermind group, or simply talk to your friends who can understand and support you.
3. Take consistent action to get your desired results.
Just like losing weight requires consistently eating fewer calories and moving your body more, falling back in love with your business requires consistently different behavior to get a different result. Create an action plan. Follow through with it. Measure your results. Change directions when something doesn’t work. Repeat your successes when they happen.
It really is as easy as that. But you have to be ready to make the changes necessary to go from being on the brink of breaking up with your business to putting a big fat sparkly ring on your finger. So answer this last question: If your business was your boyfriend, is it time to breakup, get therapy, or put a ring on it?
Is Your Platform As Sturdy As Your Platform Shoes?
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on March 2, 2011 - 8:13 am
I recently hosted a big event for entrepreneurial women and was excited to rock out in the fab pair of platform heels I bought just for the occasion. Let me tell you, they looked GOOD. But every step I took felt like I was balancing on the edge of a tower.
What we do in the name of fashion, right? It occurred to me that it’s similar to what we entrepreneurs do in the name of feeling successful. A lesson I learned the hard way.
In 2004, I left my job in Corporate America – where I had successfully built a $9 million online brand and community – to build my very own million-dollar brand and community around one word: breakups.
I was going through my very own Big Breakup at the time, and I set my sights on getting a book deal. Within months, I accomplished that goal. My book, It’s a Breakup, Not a Breakdown, debuted in 2007. I appeared on the Today Show and other national programs. I went on a book tour. I did all the fancy things I thought an author should do. Woohoo!, right?
Well, not quite. When I got home, I took a look at my bank account and almost had a nervous breakdown. I was broke. I had invested thousands of dollars in publicists and book tour fees and website development. I had taken time away from lucrative freelance projects to write and sell my book. In other words: I did all of the things I thought a successful author should do, but I hadn’t checked to see if I was building my platform on a solid foundation.
Ironically, I’m one of the lucky ones. Only 5% of first-time authors sell more than 5,000 copies in their book’s lifetime, and my book sold close to 10,000 copies in the first six months. And only 5% of the population makes over one hundred thousand dollars a year. I broke that ceiling a few years ago. Woohoo! indeed.
So what happened?
Well, while I love my books (I’ve since written and published two more traditional books and two e-books), I didn’t realize that they weren’t sturdy enough to be my business.
Instead, they’re my business card.
Here are some of the mistakes I made and how you can avoid making them, too:
- I relied on one revenue stream – my book. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket (especially if it’s a broken basket!). Create an entire product suite, such as a book, coaching programs with multiple levels, speaking engagements, writing and blogging opportunities, etc.
- I forgot to create golden opportunities with others who were aligned with my brand. Find major companies that have similar missions and explore ways you can partner. Eventually, I got paid $5,000 to write a blog entry pimping out a major company’s hair care products while giving their customers tips on how to have a post-breakup makeover. Jackpot!
- I got caught up in being an author and overlooked the value of my expertise. Look for other ways to make money from your knowledge. Eventually, I got paid handsomely to write articles for an online dating site. A Fortune 500 company approached me to consult them on their online business. At first, I felt these were not aligned with my “author” expertise. However, both opportunities have been incredibly lucrative and I loved taking on those exciting endeavors.
- I didn’t ask for help. Before you spend tons of money on a publicist, for example, take the time to evaluate what you really need. In hindsight, what I really needed was a business coach before I needed a publicist. Carefully assemble your team (a.k.a. your Woohoo Crew!) because you cannot build a profitable platform alone.
- Finally, I HOPED for success rather than making a solid, actionable plan. Get out of wishing mode and into action. Sure, hope springs eternal, but it also keeps you paralyzed because as long as you wish for something, it’s possible. Taking action is scary because it might dash those dreams … but it’s the key to your success.
So back to those sky high and oh so fab shoes of mine. For one night, they’re fun. But when it comes to building a six-figure and beyond success story, I’ve decided do it in sensible shoes.
Ready to build a rock solid 6 figure platform around your expertise, passion, and purpose?
Join my teleclass “How to Build a Sustainable 6 Figure Platform” on March 9th!
If your business was your boyfriend, is it time to breakup, go to couples counseling, or get engaged?
Submitted by Lisa Steadman on January 16, 2011 - 11:17 pm
I’ve been talking to a lot of women business owners lately and the way they’re describing their businesses sounds a whole lot like the way women talk about the men in their lives…
“We beat each other up last month (my first abusive experience in a relationship).”
“We’re in the ‘working on it’ phase.”
“Sometimes we fight, but we love each other, too.”
Can I let you in on a little secret?
Last year, I was in an abusive relationship with MY business.
I had committed to doing whatever it took to catapult my business to the next level.
I worked non-stop, around the clock, on evenings, weekends, and holidays.
I tuned out my friends. I barely called my parents. And I was actually THANKFUL that my husband traveled during the week for work. That way, I could squeeze in a half hearted phone call to him every night, and then REALLY pay attention to him on the weekend, in between the networking events, client chasing, and general craziness I had created.
Yes, I CREATED the destructive relationship with my business.
I got so singularly focused on MAKING my business work that I refused to see that this intensity and obsessiveness were the reasons my business AND my life felt so out of balance.
I was so committed to MAKING it work in my business that I lost all perspective.
I stopped working out.
Stopped sleeping well.
Stopped taking care of me.
Sure, I got results. Amazing results!
But the price I paid was too high.
My health deteriorated.
My marriage with my husband suffered.
And I began to RESENT my business.
I felt like a slave to getting my next client.
I also felt disappointed that I wasn’t getting EVEN BETTER results.
I was reading everyone’s ezines and Facebook posts about how AMAZING their lives, businesses, and bank accounts were.
And while I was bringing in 6 figures, I was also reinvesting every last penny back into my dysfunctional relationship.
While there’s a time and place for business reinvestment, it’s not at the expense of YOU.
As my new CFO says, if you make 6 or 7 figures and spend 6 or 7 figures, you’re still at zero. And that’s not a healthy business model.
Are you FEELING disappointed, isolated, like a slave who’s neither seen nor heard by YOUR business?
Does your relationship with your business feel SO DYSFUNCTIONAL that when you wake up in the morning, you DREAD starting your work day?
Do you NEVER celebrate the successes you DO have, and instead YEARN for the successes of others?
Then you and your business may be headed for a nasty breakup.
And I don’t want that for you.
YOU don’t want that either, I’m guessing!
Fortunately, there IS a better way.
A more balanced way.
A healthier and happier way to do business.
And I’d like to share this NEW way of re-ENGAGING with your business.
As Beyonce says, “If you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it!”
Instead of being that slave to your unhealthy relationship with your business, I want to show you how to fall back in love, get ENGAGED, and put a nice ring on your finger.
First, it’s important to understand the top 5 reasons WHY you may not be happy with your business, including:
1. You’re not getting the results you want and feel incredibly disappointed.
2. You’re comparing your business to everyone else’s and feeling like a total failure.
3. You’re operating out of your “make it work” / “Have to” place and its contracted, rigid, unbalanced and MISERABLE
4. Your overworked, overwhelmed, and frustrated that you’re not getting ahead financially
5. You feel like you’re giving up too much of yourself and not getting enough in return.
Next, it’s important to follow this 3 step formula for healing the pain of the problem:
1. Admit what’s happening
2. Ask for help
3. Take consistent action to get your desired results
So…if your business was your boyfriend, is it time to breakup, get therapy, or put a ring on it?
