The internet is a big place.
There’s an infinite number of messages around business growth.
Some that are helpful, affirming, and make you feel seen. And then there are the messages that hook you on “the dream” and make you feel not enough. Like you’re doing it wrong or worse like you’re worthless.
That isn’t just in the business space.
It’s in all the spaces from personal growth to wellness.
Since we’re just getting started with the year, these messages are on my mind.
These messages are often designed to overwhelm and undermine our confidence so we run for our wallets and buy the fix. And it’s usually a quick fix to get us out of the immediate pain of overwhelm, exhaustion, low confidence, don’t know enough… Whatever it is.
SO, maybe you’re feeling a little unsettled or wobbly right now. Maybe you have a plan but are wondering HOW is it all going to happen or who can I pay right now to fix this thing for me.
Maybe you don’t have a plan and feel adrift in the noise.
I wanted to come in here today and lay down some truths about growing your business so you can silence the noise and focus on what YOU want to do to grow your business and not what various marketing messages are telling you.
Understanding these truths will increase your confidence and lessen your self-doubt so you can feel less frenzied and overwhelmed. Doing your most important work in the world should feel energizing and fulfilling and allow you to generate real income that supports you, your family, and the good you want to do in the world.
I share my truths because I value transparency and by sharing my truth I hope it inspires you to share yours.
Truth-telling is an important part of navigating the internet and our society today. It’s the only way to combat the lies and gross distortions we see every day in our society.
Here are my truths:
- The best way to grow your business is to do what works for YOU. Yes, learn from people who have figured out workable solutions to the problems you have. You might even need to find a trusted advisor to help you see problems you didn’t realize you had. And you should listen to what those people have to say if you’ve vetted them and decided they’re credible experts. Ultimately, you have to do what works for you because that’s what you will be able to commit to consistently.
- You are not your business. I talk about this frequently in The Bold Profit Academy. There is a difference between your identity as a human being and the entity of the business. You have different needs than your business has. You have feelings about things, your business doesn’t. Your value and worth as a human being are not determined by your revenue or business accomplishments. However, your business success does depend on revenue. You might feel uncomfortable upholding boundaries but your business requires contracts to safeguard your revenue, employees, contractors, and you.
- You will experience fear every day in some form or another. What if you just accepted it for what it is? What if you had a small daily practice to help you move through it. What if you did a fear scan every morning so you can acknowledge it and move on? What if feeling fear didn’t hold you back, but denying its existence because you’re trying to be fearless is what keeps you stuck in your tracks?
- Deprioritizing your business is a smart strategy. My business is never my first priority. It’s important. I take it very seriously. My business thrives when I prioritize other things in my life like family, rest, house projects, personal goals. Each quarter I decide what my priority is and make sure it’s not my business.
- You are holding yourself back. It’s not another strategy, degree, course, certification, etc. It’s you. And you know what, it’s OK. We need to face these obstacles so we can learn the lessons that move us forward. We are always exactly where we need to be. Instead of being at war with this, accept it. Love it. Appreciate the gift of holding yourself back and use it to create a relationship of compassion and curiosity with yourself.
- You will be misunderstood. I know for some this is a big fear. It’s been one of mine all my life until recently. Oddly, it was my ADHD diagnosis that set me free. I looked back on my life and realized that all the constructive criticism and feedback I have received from my parents, teachers, co-workers, bosses, and even people who DM me on Instagram have all been commenting on or objecting to aspects of my ADHD. I wasn’t misunderstood, they were misunderstanding me and how my brain works. Perhaps if we judged others less, we would feel less judged and misunderstood. That is something I’m playing with, given my new insight.
- Your business – whether it’s services or products – is not for everyone. Stop trying to convince non-ideal clients to work with you. It’s harmful to them and it’s harmful to you. We want to convert qualified prospects into paying customers who you can’t wait to serve. We never want to convince less than qualified prospects to become paying customers who you can’t wait to get rid of.
- Make a decision. Make a decision. Make a decision. It’s possible that the biggest thing holding you back right now is your hemming and hawing. Or that you’re flitting from one thing to another. Should I sell this program or that program? Do I want to work this way with clients or that way with clients? Do my customers need this product or that product? JUST DECIDE, implement, debrief and decide again. There is NO one way to run a business. Decide on what your way is going to be, implement, debrief, and decide again.
- You aren’t focused. Similar to the deciding but it’s not the hemming and hawing here, it’s the spreading your time, energy, attention, and money way too thin. You have too many offers that take too much time, energy, and attention to sell. You have too many ways that you’re marketing your business taking up too much time, energy, and money to obtain a sale. You’re talking about too many things, spreading your messaging thin, and watering it down making it hard for people to identify how you can help them. FOCUS.
- Simple and easy is scalable. Complex and convoluted creates a conundrum. If you’re at the point in your business where you’re scaling, it’s all about doing less not more. Niching down, streamlining services, simplifying the operation, systematizing the money. Stop over-complicating things thinking more = more.
I’d love to hear which one of these truths resonated with you, so come on over to Instagram and share your thoughts with us. You can find me @thetaranewman.
Thanks for taking the time to listen today. I hope this has been helpful.
Please know I believe that small business owners have the power to change the world.
Take good care.
