When I first started out in business in 2010, I felt completely stuck, confused and overwhelmed.
My website embarrassed me to the point that I avoided giving out business cards because I didn’t want people visiting it.
I didn’t know how to talk about my business, so I bumbled my way through networking and sales conversations.
I never really threw myself completely into my marketing because I didn’t want to spend time and energy marketing something that just wasn’t right.
And because of all that, I attracted the WRONG clients — people who didn’t pay me what I was worth. People who didn’t appreciate me. People who didn’t respect my expertise…
Which then made me wonder if I was in the wrong niche … which created more confusion, overwhelm and “stuckness.”
I soon started feeling really discouraged because all the work I was doing wasn’t getting me the attention I deserved… or the impact I craved. I knew I could help a lot of people, but I couldn’t figure out how to get my work out there on a bigger scale and make money doing it.
Worst of all, the more time passed, the more stuck I felt, because I had already put so much time and effort into building the website and business I had. I felt like it was too late to change, so I just kept digging myself deeper and deeper into a hole.
Have you ever felt this way? Maybe even right now?
Fortunately (or unfortunately, as the case may be), you’re not alone. A shocking number of entrepreneurs are running businesses that just don’t feel quite right…
And because of that, they struggle to explain what they do, market their products and services, and pour their passion into growing their business.
There are a few reasons why we end up running businesses that leave us drained … and wanting a greater impact and more profits. The biggest and most important reason, though, is that we start our businesses in the wrong place.
I was doing the right things, in the wrong order, so it felt like I was building a house on sand. Nothing I seemed to do or create was getting the results I hoped for…
I was constantly trying new strategies and tactics … testing website copy and business cards and different offers …
Then I start fiddling with the audience I was serving, thinking that maybe I was just in front of the wrong crowd.
But what I really needed to do – and what I eventually did do – was look deeper. I looked at myself. I looked at what I actually wanted, who I was, who I really wanted to help and what I could do for them that no one else could in the way that I do. From that inquiry, the words and the images began to flow… and they were unlike any other words and images I’d ever used before…
And eventually, I realized that I had built the wrong business. It wasn’t a reflection of who I was. It didn’t allow me to do the work I knew I was born to do. And I wasn’t serving the people I was here to serve.
I said goodbye to my first business, Be Seen Boldly … and my current business, Live Your Message was born. People quickly took notice. They instantly resonated with the business and the message, the look and the feel, and they started responding to me in a completely different way.
That very first year — 2012 — I went from making $58K to $176K. Then the next year, our business tripled again, reaching almost half a million dollars. Last year we crossed the $3M mark… and this year it looks like we’re on-track to reach mid-7-figures.
So what’s the takeaway for you?
Pay attention to the whispers of doubt that you’re feeling.
Pay attention to the signs that your business isn’t quite working.
Pay attention to the nudge your intuition is giving you, saying “There’s more out there for me.”
And be willing to pull the plug in favor of the business you’re waiting to birth.
Unless you are completely on fire with passion for the work you’re doing…
And you find it super easy to clearly articulate the incredible ways you can serve your clients…
And you know exactly who your ideal client is…
And people are beating down the door to work with you…
You haven’t found your dream business – your True North Business – quite yet.
You were born to create this business. Your gifts, your talents, your personality, your life experiences – it’s all come together to create the gifted Superhero who is YOU.
You’re here to create this business. And you won’t feel fulfilled until you do.
Now about that dream business of yours…
I’m hosting a new masterclass to share the 7 things you need to recognize your dream business – the one that is both profitable and fulfilling. “Discover the Business You’re Truly Meant to Build – and How to Share It With the World” is free, but you do need to RSVP. I hope you’ll join me, so I can help you identify the business you were born to create – and get you on the fast track to launching it. Get full details and reserve your place here.