Building a business can be challenging emotionally, physically and financially. It brings all of your personal issues to the surface because it demands that you step out of your comfort zone, be productive and invest in yourself and your business.
You need to grow as a person and grow your skills in order to grow your business. It’s actually a personal development journey! Which is a great thing. Who doesn’t want to be a better version of themselves.
But, many entrepreneurs ignore the personal development aspect and therefore, make their journey much harder for themselves. Below are 4 mindset tips for service based entrepreneurs to help make the journey much more smooth.
Focus on what’s working:
When we tend to focus on what’s NOT working, we ignore what IS working in our business. This tendency comes from early childhood when we were in school. I know in my case when I would bring a report card home, my parents would often focus more attention on the B’s and C’s that I got rather than the A’s. Their emphasis was on correcting the “bad grades” rather than giving me any praise for the A’s. I know that this is where my perfectionist tendencies came from. The thing this, setting a goal to be PERFECT is unattainable and only leads to frustration and an assault on our self confidence.
I had a mentor who used to say that you should focus on your strengths rather than your weaknesses because if you focus all your attention on your weaknesses, then at the end of the day, all you will have is really strong weaknesses. Makes sense then to not to focus all of our attention on our weaknesses – right?
And this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t working on getting better in all areas of your business, it’s just that you shouldn’t ignore those things you excel at. Work on getting even better at those areas where you excel.
So, you might be a really great coach but terrible at sales or marketing. You do in fact need to get better at those things in order to fulfil your mission and serve your people but don’t give up your dream of coaching just because you suck at sales. It is a skill that can be learned.
In the meantime, while you are learning to be a better salesperson, focus more of your thoughts on the glowing reviews you’ve received from your clients and how good it feels to help someone else achieve their goals.
Vow to be Visible:
It’s essential to stand out and share your gifts in order to succeed as an entrepreneur. Whether you’re building your business online or off or both, you will need to connect with others, develop your public speaking ability and your language to be able to communicate the value you can bring to your prospective clients.
Back around 2003, I started a resume writing business and built my first website with an ancient website builder. I was so excited about hitting the publish button because I thought that surely, I would be fully booked with clients within a week. Sadly that wasn’t the case and it wasn’t until I started putting myself out there and connecting with prospective clients through local networking events and advertising on a local directory that I started to land clients.
It would be nice if all we had to do was hang a sign in our window and instantly have an onslaught of clients but that’s not how it works and many of us have unknowingly taken a vow to stay invisible. That might be because in the past, we were criticised for not following conventional rules. Or because in the past, we were told to not to be a “show off”.
I didn’t start bringing in clients for my resume business until well over a year after I hit the publish button for my website. I was afraid to stand out and be seen and present myself as an authority in that area. But once I did, I gradually built up a roster of happy customers who were grateful for my services and who landed new jobs as a result. I had to get over myself and my disappointment in not seeing instant success in order to do what was needed to succeed.
Stay focused on the present:
All kinds of fears confront us on the journey to success as an entrepreneur. Financial worries, fear of failure, fear or success, fear of criticism, fear of standing out and being visible and on and on. And they can all wreak havoc on our emotional state and ability to stay productive.
But all these fears stem from having a focus on the future. Worrying about NOT meeting our money goals, worrying about doing a talk at a networking event, worrying about whether we can deliver results for our clients.
All of this worrying can lead to burn out and giving up on this entrepreneurial thing altogether. Instead, maintain your thoughts on the present by whatever means works for you. Journal, meditate, go for a walk, take a break from your desk, count your blessings.
My favourite tool for getting back to the present and bringing my emotions back in check is tapping. It neutralises the fight/flight response and over time, it rewires your brain so that you don’t go into panic mode and are able to stay more present, focused, resourceful and productive.
Remember to have fun:
One of my favourite jobs from back in the day was when I worked for a recruiting firm. Not only did I make great money but I worked with an awesome group of people and the environment was generally lighthearted and fun. We worked hard but the emphasis was on FUN.
In fact, the partners who owned the business had this motto “Have fun, make money” and we did. We often went out for lunch together and had a great laugh or we would go out on a Thursday or Friday night after work. We had golf days together and even took a day drip to an amusement park. The more fun we had, the more the money rolled in.
We often take life too seriously and forget to have fun. Without incorporating some fun into our day and week, it can make our business feel like drudgery. Write a list of 10 things you enjoy doing, things that are fun for you and make sure you enjoy them on a regular basis through the week. If you’re like me, that might include dancing to music, watching a comedy or sitcom, going out to a movie or taking the dog for a walk.
And, having someone support you in managing the inevitable ups and downs while growing a business can help make the journey much more fun and shorten the time frame from struggle to victory.
I help service based female entrepreneurs with the mental and emotional part. I empower you to take the steps you need to grow your business and your income without grinding it out and sacrificing your health, sanity and time with loved ones.
For a limited time, I have opened up some spots in my calendar for complimentary money breakthrough sessions. Apply for a spot at this link.
To Your Success!
Certified Tapping Into Wealth Coach
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