STOP TRYING TO DO ALL ... THE ... THINGS! (yes I'm yelling, but I mean it in the most loving way!)
To be lifestyle entrepreneurs running our passion-purpose business, we cannot give in to the false FOMO. The fear that if we don't do it all, we won't be successful.
Let's be honest, this online business industry can be brutal. And at least 20 times a day I see an ad from an industry "guru" or another marketer advertising their product or service stating that what you're doing is wrong and they have the "proven system." Or that somehow you can bypass the work and just jump to the results. We all know it doesn't work that way, but we want to believe and so we buy one ... more ... thing!
I am, by no means, saying these programs are bad or that the marketer doesn't know what they're talking about or that what they're selling isn't valuable. Many of them have great programs and you can learn a ton. The problem comes when you buy all-the-things, you feel like you need to do all-the-things.
See where I'm going with this?
Then of course, there are also too many of them that give terrible advice, "Post in IG 6 times a day, and FB 2 times a day, and it's gotta be at 11am and 5pm, and don't forget to use 25 hashtags, and be sure that everything is branded, and be consistent, and don't forget about Pinterest, and LinkedIn is where you should be, but also produce one blog post a week to stay relevant and consistent, and don't forget about the SEO hacks because otherwise your content won't be seen. and then you've gotta follow-up with email, so email them every day and get your offers in front of them at least 2 times a week, and don't forget about going LIVE!" and . . . and . . . and.
I wrote the above run-on sentence in that tone for a specific reason. To emphasize how it feels. Are you feeling anxious? Are you overwhelmed? Is your head spinning?
That's exactly what marketers want you to feel so you buy their stuff.
AREN'T YOU A MARKETER, Melissa?
Yes, I am. And . . . I'm an online marketer who doesn't subscribe to these types of tactics. And I don't work with clients who use them. I have a choice in how I run my business, and so do you!
I finally realized that the reason I felt resistance to what many marketers were teaching, was because it was out of alignment for me. And I couldn't (and didn't want to) spend all my awake hours working and creating content or marketing messages that felt dishonest.
It is out of integrity for me and I will not build my business on pushy strategies that promote fear and scarcity mindset in others.
We cannot build a transformational business that is in service to others
on top of a foundation of dishonesty and fear.
We cannot create a thriving life on top of unethical business practices. And that's why many of the modern marketing strategies feel so icky to us. They are out of alignment with who we are and what we stand for.
This industry can be abusive and marketers are trained to brush up against and aggravate your fear and scarcity mindset to get the sale.
They call it psychology, but I call it manipulative and harmful.
And , , , isn't that how it feels. "You've gotta figure out how to do all-the-things or you'll be a failure."
My response is -- No You Don't!
YOU DO NOT NEED TO USE THESE STRATEGIES
Okay, so now that I've aggravated your fear and limiting beliefs, let's bring ourselves back to center. I'm here to tell you, you absolutely do not need to do "everything" to have a successful business.
As a lifestyle entrepreneur, it is our intention to build a thriving business without doing all the busy work.
As visionary women working on ourselves, developing our skills, and operating from a place of integrity, values, and a stand for human decency and equality, we build our businesses on the foundation of service and love.
Therefore, the areas where we choose to spend our time must be aligned with our values. They must mean something to us.
"The time currency spent in your business must be worthy of your time."
BUSINESS AREAS WORTH YOUR TIME
Mastering Your Craft
Any time spent mastering your craft is time well spent. Whatever your main service or product is, it’s imperative that you continue learning about it. Keep the love and passion alive!
Developing a Better Understanding of Those You Serve
Understanding your clients, readers, audience, subscribers, prospects, and group members is so important for their transformation and your business growth. The more you are connected to "their" needs, the more your offers and services will create great impact for others. And isn't that why we do what we do?
Setting Goals and Creating a Plan
While it is important to set goals and develop a plan, we must set and create knowing what our needs are first. In my last article, But I Don't Have Time for That, I walked you through identifying your needs and boundary statements. Therefore, every goal you set and every plan you create must be designed around your needs and boundaries. This is how we protect our health, energy, and personal time.
Check Your Numbers Often
You must keep a finger on the pulse of your business. Look at your numbers on a regular basis.
It's a great idea to create spreadsheets where you can document what you're working on, what marketing strategies you're trying, and of course your expenses and sales. Numbers are so important. I think their often undervalued. People focus on their big "launch" goals or how many people are in their Facebook group. Honestly, these are vanity metrics. When you look at them they make you feel good.
But if you don't know how many new prospects you spoke to last week or last month and how many of those turned into sales--then you won't know where you can improve or how you can simplify your process.
If you start creating processes now, it will become automatic and as your business grows, you'll already have procedures in place to support that growth.
THINGS TO DELEGATE, OUTSOURCE, OR THINK TWICE
To protect your time, energy, location, and even financial freedom, there are certain things that are not worthy of you spending your time currency. Now of course, you can pick and choose which tasks according to how many hours a day, week, or month you want to work (we'll get into that in a future article).
You can also base your decision on things you enjoy doing. If there's something you really love creating, keep creating it and delegate something else.
We want to enjoy the work we do and the content we create. We don't need to take things off our plate just because it's more efficient. Keep doing the things you enjoy.
Busy Work
It can be very easy to get into doing things that make you feel busy. You might be thinking you're working all the time because you're spending time doing things that feel like work. But they're not actually moving the needle.
Social media can be a huge time spend. I have to limit my time on social media because for some reason I get sucked in and end up losing chunks of time.
When you sit down to work, ensure that the work you do impacts something. For instance, listing a product for sale will generate more sales. Engaging with members in your Facebook group is important and directly impacts your business. Maintaining customer relationships, continuing to build trust and authority, and staying in contact with people who offer feedback is crucial to your business.
Shiny Object Syndrome
Become better at discerning who to listen to and where you learn business and marketing strategies.
Buy one thing at a time and implement it!
As I mentioned in my looooong intro, be clear on why you're buying another course, program, framework, blueprint, etc. And know who you're buying from--what is their marketing philosophy and what is their business model?
Time and time again I see people trying to implement strategies in their business from someone who has a different business model. That doesn't work.
So please, make sure what you buy is a good fit and that you understand where it fits in your business model.
Technology
Ohhh, tech! What a rabbit hole that can be. I have two minds on the topic of tech. I like to empower those I work with to learn their tech setup. They then have control of their business, they know when someone is charging too much or not doing a good job, and ultimately if something goes wrong (and it does) they can take action and fix it.
The other side of this, don't sit for hours at a time teaching yourself how to do it. This is a rabbit hole maze that as you go deeper, there's something else you need to learn. You will lose time and precious energy and momentum following this maze, and eventually you'll be looking for the quick escape button.
If you can't hire someone to build it for you, hire someone to teach you! It's less of an investment AND you'll get the most direct training you need to get started. Ask for referrals to make sure you connect with a good teacher. Someone who will really show you the most important things.
Or contact me. This is one of the services I offer.
If You Dislike Something, Stop Doing It
Remember, if you hate doing something, you don’t have to do it. You can automate it or outsource it if it’s something that needs to be done. But you may also be able to skip it. For example, if your audience isn’t even on Instagram, why are you?
Determining the best use of your time has to do with what you like doing, what you can afford to do (or who you can afford to hire), and what moves your business forward. The trick is figuring out what impact your actions have and to keep choosing those tasks.
Please share in the Facebook group what you've learned about yourself and your business. I will be in the Facebook group every day to answer your questions and support your growth.
Till tomorrow,
Be brilliant.
Be imperfect.
And always, be you.
Melissa