If you've been putting your all into your business and yet you're struggling to make it work, you might be making one of the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs often make: not focusing on the core activities that really move the needle in your business.
There's so much information out there that you may not know exactly what you need to focus on. I'm breaking it down for you step by step in this video.
When you feel like you’re in a rut and yearning to break free…
When you know there’s no room for growth in your current job or venture…
When you're ready to break free from the treadmill of the corporate world and do your own thing...
How do you discover the gifts you’re meant to share and start to fully express them in a way that’s right for you?
That’s what this post is all about helping you do.
With all the negative events happening in the world right now, it can be easy to feel like we can’t do anything about it, but nothing can be farther from the truth. We as entrepreneurs can do so much to make a change in the world.
Not only can you make an impact through the specific work you do, you can be a source of inspiration and empowerment. Frankly, right now, the world needs a lot more of that. The world needs a lot of light and as much light as possible.
How, specifically, can you make a positive influence on the world through your business? Here are some steps to get you started.
When you think about what you want to accomplish over the next 12 months, what are big dreams and goals you have for yourself, your business and your family? Are you dreaming of having a different job? Of launching your own coarse? Working with dozens of amazing new clients? Or finally hitting the coveted six-figure mark in income?
Your big dreams may seem so far out of reach that the idea of going about actually making them happen makes your head spin. Even the act of writing down what you think needs to happen can feel overwhelming at first. Where people can get tripped up is that without a plan to make the goals happen, you’re really just wishing for something to happen instead of taking action to actually make it happen. That’s why creating your plan step-by-step is so important because without that structure, you can get off track and never reach your goals or dreams. This is also why so many people set the same goals and resolutions over and over each year because they lack the plan to make them happen.
But creating a plan to make your big dreams and goals happen doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. Once you determine the smaller steps you need to take to get there, it becomes practical, achievable and realistic for you to actually reach your goals and make your big dreams happen.
Here’s how to create a plan that makes doing it a lot easier.
You seem to be doing everything right. You put in long hours, you work hard and you take action, but things aren’t happening like you want them to.
If you’re an entrepreneur, maybe you’re just not booking enough clients or bringing in enough money, so you’re struggling to stay in business. Or maybe you’ve been begging the Universe to send you a different job opportunity because you can’t stand the one you currently have, but for the life of you, you can’t find anything that you’d actually be excited to do.
When you’re getting a bunch of what you don’t want, how can you turn it around and start manifesting more of what you want? Here’s what you need to do to start doing it now.
We’re always hearing how important it is to be ambitious and to go after our dreams, and to work hard and make it happen.
I say the same things… and I have a big vision and ambitious goals for myself… and you probably do, too.
But here’s the tricky part…
If you’re so ambitious in the pursuit of making your dreams happen that you lose sight of what’s truly important in your life, then what does that ambition really get you?
Here's why you need to keep an eye on what matters most, especially when you're building a business of your own.
Defeat, setbacks, losing… they’re all inevitable parts of business and life, but how do you turn defeat into a success?
On the days when you’ve worked your butt off and no one buys from you…
Or no one watches your the video you spent weeks making…
Or you have a great conversation with a potential client and you think the sale is in the bag… and then she says no...
How do you get back in the saddle when you’ve taken a huge blow? That’s exactly what this post (and the accompanying video) is all about.
There’s a sneaky trap that keeps a lot of solopreneurs struggling… It’s the feeling that they simply need to do MORE.
More blog posts, more marketing, more being on social media.
Does this sound familiar?
But instead of actually making real progress, you end up simply feeling OVERWHELMED, PARALYZED or like you’re just SPINNING YOUR WHEELS.
Your to-do list is a mile long and simply looking at it can throw you into a panic or a hopeless depression that you’ll never get it all done.
You deserve better! And it’s actually pretty simple to make real progress in your business when you know the right steps.
The boat approached a small, emerald island jutting out of deep blue waters and we finally got a glimpse of our paradise for the next 7 days. The surroundings were surreal - so stunningly beautiful that they seemed plucked out of a movie (indeed they were… the movie The Beach was filmed in the area).
Then we saw it... Tucked into a small cove flanked by soaring limestone cliffs was the resort where our beachfront bungalow awaited us on Lagen Island in the Philippines. My heart leapt in my chest with excitement!
Finally… I could relax and let all of the stress of the past weeks go. We’d arrived at the the family vacation destination of our dreams despite all of the hurdles life had been throwing at us, all of which come with the territory when you’re a parent: the seemingly endless doctors visits and countless sleepless nights when your child is sick. Being able to go on this vacation at all was a true gift... one I could've easily robbed myself of if I hadn't shifted my perspective.
When I was in 8th grade, I developed a stomach ulcer. I’m not sure exactly when I started feeling the need to prove myself, but that kind of level of performance stress became my norm. I heaped mountains of pressure on myself. I was always striving, always trying to prove my worth through external validation. And yet no amount of achievement would snuff out that nagging feeling that I needed to do more and somehow be more... and it has really cost me a lot in my life.
Overachieving is celebrated in our society in business, school, sports and more. But the drive to be an overachiever can come with surprising problems and high costs, like low self-esteem, a lack of self-confidence and a deep fear of what others think of you. Here's how to start fulfilling your full potential without all the overachiever problems.
As a solopreneur or freelancer, you aren’t just a business owner… you are the CEO of your company! But a lot of hard-working entrepreneurs aren’t approaching their business like a “real” CEO would and it leads to a lot of unnecessary overwhelm, frustration and too little pay-off for all of the hard work.
Today I’m going to help you ditch overwhelm and help you grow your business faster with a deceptively simple shift. It can make a huge difference in how much you get done each day and how much you make this year. I’ll also show you how to decide where you need to be focusing your efforts to make the biggest difference in your business in the least amount of time.
Plus, you’ll take the first step toward taking control of your business to-do list so you can stop spinning your wheels and move toward that 6-figure mark fast… and do it with a lot more joy, grace and ease!
You’re overflowing with big dreams and ideas for your business (and life)... and that can get in the way of your success. Here’s the problem: Too often the most amazing, brilliant, I’m-making-a-real difference-in-the-world entrepreneurs struggle in their businesses because they’re pursuing too many dreams and goals at the same time.
In this article I share the simple steps to knowing which of your dreams and goals you should act on right now.
The act of setting goals is easy. Figuring out how to make them happen – and then actually doing it – is much, much harder. Before you set your goals and race forward, you need to make sure you’ve got a plan that works to help you focus on the things that will make the biggest difference in the least amount of time. I’ve outlined what you need to focus on in order to hit that six-figure income mark in The 6-Figure Business Checklist, which you can download for free right now inside this post. Go ahead and get it now!
No matter who you are, everyone has times when we get into a low-energy funk and don’t feel like doing anything. And, if you’re out there pursuing your dreams and building a business doing what you love, there can be a lot of tough days.
Days – or weeks – when you just can’t seem to book any new clients. Days when the to-do list seems so long it could bury you. Days when you think about giving up and just go back to a “normal job”.
It’s during those especially challenging times when we need a strong dose of inspiration, a hand up or someone saying “I’ve got your back.”
“Every excuse that we make keeps us away from the things we want the most of out of life.” That’s a truth bomb for you.
Head's up: have a box of tissues nearby.
If you’re reading this, it’s likely because something inside you is calling you to do something bigger with your life. There’s a part of you that knows you’re meant to be more and receive more than your current circumstances, whatever they may be. And part of that is having the confidence and the systems that allow you to build a thriving business so you can do the work that is yours to do and serve the people who you’re uniquely qualified to serve.
But, you can’t build a thriving business that serves your clients in the highest way if you’re struggling, working your fingers to the bone or have inadvertently created another J-O-B for yourself that you resent.
In my previous post, I debunked the myth that says if you increase your fees, you’ll lose clients or not get any to begin with. I addressed just about every possible concern or excuse you could have to not charge what you know you’re worth. If you haven’t read that post yet, please read it. It contains critical mindset shifts that will allow you to finally push past your fears and confidently stand in the value you provide, charge for it and get it.
Now we’re going to jump into debunking one of the big marketing strategies that keeps so many business owners struggling financially.
As a business owner and mom, I'm always trying to figure out how to get more done in less time. Reaching out to potential clients, following up on inquiries and communicating about new opportunities can devour a lot of time simply with composing and replying to emails.
I use Google Apps for a lot of my business back-end and was getting desperate for a way to cut down on the time it takes me to send out personal emails and track responses… and I wanted it NOW with basically zero learning curve.
That’s when I found a magic combination: Google Lab’s Canned Responses + Boomerang for Gmail.
Once I installed and started using these two tools, I literally cut in half the time that it takes me to send emails… instantly doubling my emailing productivity.
You decided long ago that life was too short to spend it working a typical J-O-B, so you made the leap into pursuing your passion. You’re committed to making a difference in the lives of your clients… and the world. You’ve even built a business around it.
But instead of having more freedom and fulfillment in your life, you're running 24/7 because you’re just not bringing in enough clients at fees high enough to make your business work financially.
Too many heart-centered entrepreneurs know they’re undercharging for the real value and amazing results they deliver, but they’re afraid to raise their rates. That’s not only bad for their business; it also undermines their clients’ ability to get real, lasting results.
