you are creative and expressive; don’t put yourself in a box.
You are a creative, fluid, rennaisancy creature who does many, many beautiful and amazing things.
There is no need to put yourself in a box!
Take what works for you.
Take what is easy for you.
Make those answers the foundation for your lifestyle and business.
Your chosen strengths that propel you to be a leader and share your voice are where you will have the most fun and be the most successful.
Brainstorm and then play around with ALL OF YOUR STRENGTHS and see which ones are really grounded in you.
Meaning what things come naturally to you?
What are you overlooking because it’s so easy for you that you think it can’t be that special to others?
Do you see?
If you really want to create a lifestyle or business that extends from YOU, it’s got to extend from YOU!
Not from somebody else’s idea of what a business or life is.
Not from this fake conceptualized idea of what a fulfilled and inspired lifestyle looks like for you.
Not listening to someone else and trusting on blind faith or because you heard the numbers or someone told you to listen to this person.
Instead it’s showing up and listening and staying curious and developing trust over time about what is your truth and what is someone else’s.
This isn’t a black and white thing.
If it feels black and white, it is coming from a developmentally younger part of you. Which is really great information to know because than you can address it!
Truth comes thru people a lot of the time but don’t get the words mixed up with truth.
Truth is what resonates inside for YOU.
Take that and leave the rest.
It’s about owning who YOU are and letting that dictate your life and how you want to show up for it versus trying to fit into someone else’s box. ..versus someone else’s way dictating you.
Said another way: when you value you and let that dictate your life, you let go of someone else deciding your value for you.
You are the true self. So you are infinite and your value is priceless.
And as a human you keep remembering that.
This isn’t about controlling timing. The law of rhythm will dictate that.
It’s about accepting that you deserve to have a life where you can be you and take care of yourself.
Because this is how you access your highest Self.
My business and lifestyle are a complete result of my own needs.
The need to be myself .
The need to be my own boss.
The need to have lot’s of time to process my emotions.
The need to be able to sleep in or go slow if I am having an emotional flashback come up.
The need to have space to be in quiet and stillness.
The need to work less and make more money per hour because of my physical and emotional needs.
Yes I deserve creating a lifestyle that works for me on my own terms separate from any physical or emotional condition I have. You do too! That’s our spiritual inheritance and birthright.
However the reality in my human experience is that I have to acknowledge my unique needs in their form for ME, meaning what do I specifically need in my day to day to truly be healthy to function, then thrive, then give my all when I am with clients and creating.
I’m talking sleep, food, social, hygiene, movement etc. etc. etc.!
It will be unique to you.
However, if you connect with me here you may find that you need something similar as I do.
These are deeply based needs that I have to keep prioritizing over and over again over time.
How does this look in my day to day?
One example is when it comes to writing these articles and my blog.
Lately, instead of forcing myself to come out with a blog on the same day each week I’m deciding to honor a gift of mine.
My writing comes through me often as intuitive hits and inspiration at any possible point of day or night. I use to just send myself emails or make multiple notes in hopes I would go back to them.
However, I rarely did because the number of notes would be overwhelming and they wouldn’t organized in any particular way.
Lately, I’ve been keeping an open note on both my phone and laptop so that as these stream of consciousness inspirations come in I can keep track of them in one place. Then I can have a second pass and pull anything that will be great for a post or newsletter etc.
This really lets my strength of stream of consciousness, intuition and expressive writing take over and be front and center stage.
These were small tweaks but extremely important ones because content is so important in business.
But the small tweak was a result of lot’s of choices and shifting over time.
First and foremost reconnecting with and shifting younger parts of myself over time has allowed for more space.
More space means more room for Self (true self) energy .
More Self energy means my ability to see new ideas and possibilities that I did not see before.
In this example, the new possibility was a subtle shift in the way I store the inspiration so that it helps my future self go back and do the refining.
I could hold on to the advice from other coaches who say it’s best to do a blog one day a week on a specific day. However, if this actually is impeding me from writing, is it better to write nothing because I don’t do it the way someone else says or better to do it how I want to do it?
Even better, when I can truly LISTEN inside and feel my own flow and rhythm, it doesn’t even MATTER a thing what anyone else says.
I get to trust my highest guidance and that could look like …. I send out my emails, create content, contact my audience….. whenever I feel like it!
Of course, this takes experimentation too because I want to use mindfulness to be aware of how my content is connecting with my audience.
However, first and foremost it has to extend from me.
See how my inner clearing and releasing inspires action that influences the outer structure of my business?
And it’s based on my own strengths and needs FIRST.
By clearing out space within it has allowed me to more intentional with the space I am creating outside of myself.
This isn’t easy!
I remember the years I worked in corporate.
I use to be so worried about what other people thought and needed approval in order to know that I could take necessary sick time for myself.
I remember being wrapped up in blankets with a fever and the flu because I wouldn’t go home until my boss gave me the okay.
I was also obviously wrapped up in a whole bunch of fear too.
You see this whole journey is like any long term relationship.
It’s going to test you, make you dig deeper than you ever have before.
But the thing is, this is the relationship you are building with yourself FIRST.
You have to learn where you need the flow and where you need the structure by EXPERIENCING IT.
And the only way to experience something is to jump in.
And to jump in, you need to show up for you and take care of you and then your gifts will naturally flow out into the world.
You just have to listen each day to see what is the next step.
Be where you are.
Say what’s on your mind.
Share what you need to share.
And then receive. See what resonates in you and HONOR THAT.
Lot’s of love.
Jen
I am unapologetic in my mission to help you discover and embrace your voice within.
So you can translate it into a lifestyle and business that is an extension of your deepest desires, the inner YOU.
This is what I call living an Inspired Life.
Interested in working together?
Send an email and we will set up a phone call to see if we are a good fit!
Here’s how it will work
12 Sessions.
6 months.
Access to all of my recorded trainings, workbooks and templates
***with my guidance and direction on which material applies to you***
We will develop your brand from A-Z including:
Create a dynamic action plan for your dream business that fits your unique desires, needs (personally and professionally) and current finances.
Infuse fun, experimentation and empowerment into your business building process.
Create an intuitive practice that supports the flow of your business and more!
Together, we will:
Identify and release any success blocks that are interfering with you starting your business, staying consistent with your business, as well as showing up and getting visible in your day to day.
Reorient your current approach to one that is true Self-oriented which will create a business and lifestyle foundation for flow and alignment with your authentic values.
Determine the best marketing strategies for you (because there is no such thing as one cookie cutter way!) and a plan for executing them that takes into account your individualized lifestyle.
Develop your signature offer and unique path toward serving your ideal clients so that it is a natural progression for them to work with you and refer you to their friends and family.
By the end of us working together you will:
Show up confident and revved up about your expertise so clients know you are exactly who they need to hire
Be a magnet for high impact opportunities in front of your ideal clients so that your audience keeps growing
Approach marketing and business from a soul perspective so you share offers easily with passion and keep integrity with your values and dreams.
Looking for even more support?
Ask me about my email, text + audio message option!
*Can be added to coaching program or offered as a separate package if you have worked with me 1:1 before.
Have a beautiful day my lovelies!
You are here for a reason and it’s exactly what this world needs.
If we’ve met and connected, I know you’re the real deal: smart, genuine, creative.
Your gifts (what makes YOU, YOU) are acts of service of all kinds.
First and foremost, to your Self.
Being fully expressed fills you up.
Second, it’s the optimal situation for others to rise up too.
So where are you holding back still?
Is it in your voice?
Is it in speaking up about your opinions and what sets you apart?
Is it hidden underneath the surface so instead you focus on your body, your hair, your skin as a distraction from digging in deeper?
It's okay. This isn't about tensing up around it. This is just a stirring to get gently curious.
For when you are doubting your gifts:
Denying your power
Ignoring your magic
Stifling your voice
The world is dimmer.
This I know for certain.
Which is why I unapologetically believe that you were given this life for one simple reason.
To be you.
And that this is the very thing that this world needs from you.
Not perfection. Not the perfect social media post. Not the ritualistic attempt to complete a never-ending to do list.
The world needs who you were born as.
It needs who you have always been meant to be.
So try out dropping a few layers today.
You don't need all of the busyness and the image that you thought you needed.
I promise if you take a few extra moments to pause and check in with yourself, you will be quite surprised at what you find.
Regardless if you look inside and find discomfort or joy or anything in between, it's more than enough.
If it's problems, then you've got more than enough to focus on internally.
If it's solutions, then you've got more than enough to address right now.
If its joy, then you've got more than enough to share right now.
It's all pointing you in the same direction.
Without a doubt, the foundation to your desires, the source of fulfillment in all of your relationships, finances, health and success is found in the magnificence of YOU.
Have a beautiful day.
Jen
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How to overcome the most common success blocks that arise for newbie entrepreneurs-Part 2
As we continue on this journey called entrepreneurship, there will be “holy landmines” batwoman! However, I truly hope that this series will serve you with a roadmap of how to approach these common success blocks so overcoming them will be a much more gentle process! Remember, that it’s not fear that sets a successful entrepreneur apart from an entrepreneur who stays stuck or never makes progress. What does set apart the successful from the not so successful (and success is relative and uniquely defined for each person!) is the . . . . .
Welcome back lady!
We are back, talking more about success blocks in Part 2 during this 4 part series.
If you’d like to read Part 1, you can read it here.
As we continue on this journey called entrepreneurship, there will be “holy landmines” batwoman!
However, I truly hope that this series will serve you with a roadmap of how to approach these common success blocks so overcoming them will be a much more gentle process!
Remember, that it’s not fear that sets a successful entrepreneur apart from an entrepreneur who stays stuck or never makes progress.
Fears and blocks and things that trigger you will always come up along the journey.
Fear is inevitable as you take this human journey and stretch into a grander version of yourself in life and in business.
What does set apart the successful from the not so successful (and success is relative and uniquely defined for each person!) is the willingness to show up for yourself.
I will say this again . . . the only different between the two types of people is the willingness to continuously show up for yourself.
The courage to acknowledge the fear.
The drive to cultivate kindness and compassion towards your fears.
The readiness to ask for help and be shown a different way.
It’s the above mindset and heart that will inspire you to learn and use different tools to get through the hurdles.
That determination, motivation and resiliency is the signature of a successful entrepreneur and business owner : never giving up.
Never giving up means that you showed up.
It means you are learning over time that you can trust yourself.
That you trust you and will never give up on yourself!
With that reminder, let’s continue on!
21 Common Success Blocks That Will Come Up On Your Entrepreneurial Journey- Continued . . .
7. Previous Sales programming (media, magazines, online marketing, news etc. )
Can I get a head nod?
Unless you are an alien from another galaxy, guaranteed you’ve grown up in a society that has experienced an influx of advertising.
As technology, potential physical + mental reach has expanded, along with the ability to compare and share experiences with a huge network of people at any time of the day, information (and along with that advertising) has grown exponentially.
This is great news for entrepreneurs today. It is a wonderfully ripe time for you to start and develop a business. The potential is truly limitless.
However, with that potential we find the law of polarity once again. While limitless potential and information gives us access to things and goals our ancestors never dreamed of, it also means we are have a limitless input of lot’s of information, signals and yes advertising that we don’t like and don’t agree with.
I know as a kid I grew up on tv (despite also spending a lot of time outside) and what came along with my Saturday morning and evening shows? Commercials.
I can speak for my experiences in American culture and media . . .
( FYI, I’d love to hear from my friends over the pond about the educational programming that is more representative of Great Britain and how that may have shaped your experience differently.)
. . . and I am quite aware that the marketing I experienced at an early age was not centered around my education, health or wellness.
Coke. Ellios pizza. Pop tarts. Cigarettes. Informercials. Products for the hair, skin, teeth and body to look better.
These promises of an instant fix seep into the young minds of children like a sponge.
The carefully curated music to illicit a warm, cozy feeling.
Intentionally crafted scenes of overjoyed faces and family time spent sipping a familiar can of soda.
It’s no wonder the belief that an answer to our problems it outside of ourselves! The repetitive programming is everywhere!
The invention of television surely has influenced our culture and no doubt influenced your perception of media and advertising.
Which means that when as an adult, this old ingrained programming can show up and lead to a misunderstanding of what sales and marketing actually are about.
The old programming can lead to misperceptions about what selling is and fuel the common success block of feeling inauthentic when sharing your offers.
How to address this?
If the thought of selling (which is really just sharing) your services or products is freaking you out, spend some time examining any beliefs you have about marketing and advertising in general.
Questions to consider:
1. Where does this belief about selling (marketing, success, advertising, etc.) come from?
2. Does the origin of this belief about selling (marketing, success, advertising, etc.) align with my values?
3. Do my values align with the brand that I learned these beliefs from?
You can also look for evidence of authentic marketing (whether that be online, tv, magazines) so that you can rewire your brain with new examples.
We can always rewire our brains! They are malleable, yet this takes repetition, time and patience!
(Remember the part about not giving up? ;)
Notice the difference between how different types of advertising and marketing make you feel. Think about times when you were “sold” to and it was exactly what you needed and helped transform your life in some way.
Remember that you don’t have to be like anyone else when you are selling your offer. You get to be as authentically you as you get to be.
This will also get easier over time as you decrease your own learning curve and feel more natural at selling and sharing your offers.
Also, knowing your ideal client is so important when it comes to feeling authentic with selling. When you know your ideal client, what her problem is, and how you can help, your marketing and selling is not going to feel salesy, sleazy or icky at all.
Your offer is going to be exactly what your ideal client needs and it will be a disservice to NOT offer it to them!
8. Instant Gratification Binging
Piggy backing a bit off of the previous success block comes another consequence of the massive reach of technology, media and the world wide web.
There is so much access to “stuff” of all kinds. Google, social media, other search engines. Information is at our fingertips . . . literally.
So how do you not get caught in the web of instant gratification?
The instant gratification of the internet and technology is something I sometimes like to call the Sugar Rush or the Dopamine Hit because it’s the same type of mechanism that has us craving and overindulging on sweets and candy.
This can also be a common stage for newbie entrepreneurs at the beginning: the nonstop gobbling of freebies + advice seeking!
Oh yeah and don’t forget the comparisons!
(We will get to Comparisonitis in Part 3).
This can all be quite addictive.
I know it can be for me if I’m not taking care of myself or I’m too attached to an outcome!
This success block is a really common sinkhole for many newbie entrepreneurs because all of the promises, success stories and posts that sound soo soo enticing!
Each promise sounds better than the next!
So how do you manage the sea of freebies and advice overload?
What does this mean if you want to create freebies and advertising for your own business (which I highly recommend!) ?
Does this make you a hipocrate?
(Hey inquiring minds want to know!)
How to address this:
I’ll admit this one is a constant practice for me. It can come up at every stage of business (the law of rhythm means we will always being going through states of transition and flux) but also there are always changes happening within the platforms and algorithms as well!
The practice for me becomes:
Staying in my own lane.
Putting the blinders on.
A muscle to exercise and strengthen over time.
This is where I rely heavily on my business coach, therapist and colleagues in my group mentorship program so that I keep seeing when all those shiny things feel like they are guaranteeing me overnight success.
I have to continuously check in with myself and see what boundaries I need.
I have to get more and more clear over time how I am feeling as I show up.
I know I need to re-evaluate when I’m feeling a chemical rush, anxiety, pressure and heaviness about showing up, or an insatiable desire for more coupled with a feeling that I am doing something wrong or am not good enough.
The “slow and steady wins the race” approach works well for me.
This may or may not work for you. However it is how I go slow and pace myself in order to stay connected to my true self and core values.
Also, remember that social media and technology are MADE for instant gratification .
Algorithms are run on it.
Many sales tactics are leveraging it.
The human attention span molds to it.
If you are on the gobble gobble freebie train, give yourself the opportunity to pause and maybe even take a break from social media for a bit until your nervous system starts to come back into balance.
When you are ready to expose yourself to the stimulation, get to know people and coaches over time. (This is the way to build trust in any relationship as well!)
Practice curiosity.
Minimize the impulse buys and opt-ins.
That doesn’t mean to never act on an impulse.
It just means to notice if you are experiencing a high intensity of seeking, searching and jumping in quickly without thinking.
Recognize that this is a flare going up to bring your attention to a part of yourself that needs curiosity and care.
Does this mean you can’t use ads and social media?
No of course not. Everything always has at least two sides (the law of polarity again!)
When you are committed to honoring your true self and are continously doing the work to show up in a way that is aligned and healthy for you, it won’t matter what other people are doing or how they are doing it.
Your ideal clients will be drawn to you because of your authenticity. You will be drawn to the right coaches and supports because you will know how to trust yourself.
Remember the spiritual practice of selling:
Freebies are just samples of your value that you give to another so they can give your style of teaching and personality a test run. Advertising is just a way to reach a greater audience with your work.
Which means slowing down and giving yourself the opportunity to explore will help you take more actions inspired by your intuition.
It will also build your own self-trust that the right people who sample your your material will want more.
9. Crickets and the Fear of Rejection
One of the deepest rooted fears for humans and a highly common success block is the fear of rejection. This one is definitely a huge trigger for me because I experienced a lot of chronic loss and complex abandonment at a very early age.
However, even if you have a different story, this fear is bound to come up for anyone on the entrepreneurial journey, specifically when you are trying something new, getting more vulnerable and/or expanding into a new level.
Why?
Humans are wired for connection and attachment from the time of inception.
We are made to be connected to one another. Our relationship and social needs are undeniable.
Undoubtedly, the entrepreneurial journey is one in which we have to put ourselves out into the world and get visible.
So how do we acknowledge this need for connection yet not attach our worth to the feelings and experiences of rejection that most likely will arise as we step more and more into the public eye?
This is one of those fears that’s a catch 22 when first starting out.
As a newbie entrepreneur you just can’t wait to offer your services to other humans. You need those connections with other humans to be in business and serve in the unique way that you do.
It’s also the interaction.
The relationships and engagement with humans (your audience) t helps you understand what they need, what they respond to and can give much needed signs and validation that you are on the right track.
However, when you are first starting out, you don’t have this massive audience, a historical dialog and relationships to fall back on.
You are at the beginning and are showing up without any guarantees.
Yup, this is a breeding ground for abandonment wounds.
Early stages of business development can resemble and remind you of unmet relationship needs.
Not to mention putting yourself out there repeatedly and feeling rejected can increase the fear of doing it again and can keep you stuck in hiding.
This is because our reptilian brain (the seat of primal emotion) is wired to flee and avoid fear and pain.
However, this not going to be you!
How to address this:
First of all, know that if your voice, message and business platform wasn’t so important to you, you wouldn’t care this much about putting yourself out there and what other people think.
The fear of rejection is actually a reminder that you are onto something big that is really important to you.
I’ve never had as much fear about putting myself out there than with my online coaching and speaking business. There’s greater reach. There’s so much potential. Because coaching entrepreneurs is super close to my heart.
Another helpful mindset shift for rejection is to know that while this period of putting yourself out there and staying patient thru the crickets is a normal part of the process.
While often, very uncomfortable, it is an inevitable step on the journey.
You have to go from unknown to known. From unseen to seen. From unheard to heard. This is the law of relativity at work.
This is why it’s really helpful to surround yourself with people who have been where you are (like other business owners, coaches, trustworthy friends & family).
They will serve as your anchor to connection and remind you that you will get through this.
The support of others and having a safe place to vent your fears will help you tolerate the silence.
It will help you put yourself out there and trust that others are watching.
You can lean on your other relationships as you build new ones with your ideal clients and audience.
It’s also helpful to remember that first and foremost, you are sharing content, value and your mission for yourself first.
Yes, you are in the business of service.
However, if you are so focused on the outcome (getting those followers, making that income stream) that you are disconnected from the heart centered why of your passion, this actually means you are being called to go deeper and to release more.
There are some blocks (or parts) in the way that need attention that need to be dealt with separate from the outcome. (The law of correspondence says that our outside will reflect our inside.)
In order to help shift the blocks out of the way that are keeping you disconnected from your heart centered why, you must connect and send love to any abandoned parts of yourself.
Doing this over time will heal abandonment wounds, loneliness and other stuck pain might be distracting you from staying present.
And when you are able to be present you will connect to your heart centered why and trust the process even more.
Another suggestion is noticing when parts of yourself are triggered because they have a high expectation or demand that a certain post or person give you the engagement you crave.
Remember everything and everyone is just a vessel.
The law of Oneness states that we are all interconnected and that everything is energy.
Those humans and that specific post are not your source.
They are not the source of your engagement, interaction and profit.
Your connections are not limited to one person or have to happen in a certain way.
You can view rejection as just more information.
It can be a redirection to surrender more.
It can be the universe telling you to wait for something better.
The last suggestion is to pay attention to each piece of positive feedback that you get.
At the beginning, especially for newbie entrepreneurs, staying present in the moment and really taking in every comment, piece of positive feedback and connection will enrich your day so much more instead of constantly seeking more.
Seeking more will always lead to just that : more seeking.
In order to have a fulfilling business and to release success blocks you have to tap into the place within you that is enough. As the famous quote by Rumi states: what you are seeking is seeking you.
You can also take this action step: As you find evidence of praise, write it down so you can look back on it!
I hope that you’ve discovered more about your own success blocks from Part 2 of this post and have found some ways to help them shift naturally!
Stay tuned for Part 3!
Xo, Jen
P.S. This is for you, even if you’ve never sold anything before!
⭐️ Have you been ready to start your business (or use online marketing in your already established business) but have no idea where to begin?
⭐️ Are you impatient with the growth of your business and are just bursting at the seams with passion, yet don’t have the clients to share it with yet?
⭐️ Are you tired of talking to family and friends, afraid to look into their eyes for fear you’ll see them glaze over from hearing about this “amazing business” you want to create?
⭐️ Are you holding back because marketing feels in conflict with being a soulful, heart centered woman?
You’re not alone girl!
I’ve been there. My clients have been there.
There are so many women just like you.
They are dreaming of a successful, change the world business that’s also an extension of their empathic, intuitive heart.
I know this is what you want to.
Yet, just like you, they don’t know how to put these dreams into action.
It’s not their fault. It’s not yours either.
No one taught us women how to be the leaders and the change makers we were meant to be!!
FYI - I never learned a thing about business or marketing in my masters program!
Can you believe it?
And this goes for so many heart centered entrepreneurs that I work with:
Creatives, healers, wellness practitioners, coaches, speakers, artists, therapists and more, whose certification and training programs forget the importance of basic business skills!
Which leaves you disempowered, thinking you have to take someone else’s path.
Or even if you are just starting out and haven’t done any specialized course, in this culture and most others, women been convinced and shamed into keeping their voices silenced for centuries.
Ironically, YOU are the very person this world needs to share your gifts.
This world needs more people, just like you because you have the heart and the good intentions. The passion and the vision.
It’s a DISSERVICE to yourself, your future clients and this world that you are holding back.
This is why I created the group coaching program :
Wired for Wealth:
Sell Out Your Services with Heart
Wired for Wealth is a group coaching intensive that meets via 8 virtual live training & Q&A sessions.
This intensive will span 3 months in order to give you the support and time you need to create your unique business roadmap that sells out your services!
Wired for Wealth gives you the essential steps to wiring your mind and wiring your business for income, success and financial security, while honoring your heart!
We start this summer and I’d love to have you join this intimate group of women!
You can learn more here or get on the waitlist now to be the first to know when enrollment opens!!
How to overcome the most common success blocks that arise for newbie entrepreneurs- Part 1
This is a 4 part series that goes into the depths of success blocks that most entrepreneurs can relate to.
I wish someone would’ve given me this list years ago!
Seriously, it is so important that we acknowledge the journey, resiliency and personal growth required to take this entrepreneurial path.
We still live in a culture that has an automatic default to forge ahead and push harder when fear arises.
However, that just leads to backlash, burnout and wasted, time, energy and money.
Instead, I’m shining a light on all the fears that have and still come up for me as well as my clients.
Examining this journey more closely, there are a set of common fears that most entrepreneurs will need to address.
So I want you to see that you aren’t alone and that you can and will get through it.
I’m also not going to be trite and say just do it and face the fear!
I respect that each of you will need to spend different amounts of time on these different fears and some will be doozies and others will be more breezy.
I also respect that until you know more about your specific fear and have learned tools to move through it, that you won’t be able to “just do it!”.
However, I don’t want the fears to prevent you from going forward!
Instead, I am hoping that today’s post about the most common success blocks is going to give you a sigh of a relief and let you know that you are exactly where you are meant to be on this journey!
A lot of my work has to do with this: normalizing experiences in life and business, treating what comes up with compassion and staying the course when fear arises.
I want you to learn just how much you can trust yourself and your inner guidance to overcome anything that appears to be standing in your way.
This is so important when creating your own business!
Creating a sustainable, thriving business that is profitable and also aligns with your heart centered values requires jumping a bunch of fear hurdles.
I’m not going to lie about that!
However, when you have an idea of what’s coming up or know that these fears are something that almost everyone goes through, you don’t have to be taken out by the fear and instead can rise above it!
The success blocks I’m about to share with you arise for most newbie entrepreneurs (or seasoned entrepreneurs who are diversifying, creating new offers or changing directions!) and are nothing to be ashamed about.
However, watch for any shame parts that tell you “this is bad”.
See if you can gently encourage the shame to step back and instead say, “this is normal. I am learning to move through this.”
As you read about these success blocks and how to overcome them, see if you can take note of the ones that stand out for you right now.
Also, take the opportunity to pinpoint those fears that you have already overcome so that you can remind yourself that you are making progress.
This also eases other fears and gains the trust of fearful parts so they see that yes, there is a wise adult here that can take care of challenges!
Nothing calms fear more than knowing it is supported, understood and heard.
And one more thing, stay present with yourself as you read through this list.
As you take a look at these fears, overwhelm can get triggered because parts of yourself feel like they have to solve all of this . . . Stat!
However, it is quite the opposite.
Instead of the fears being something to solve, approach them with compassionate awareness from the place within you that views fear without needing to fix it.
Consequently, the fear ends up dissolving in it’s own right time when it is met with that compassion.
This is a practice in listening to yourself.
If you feel validated, curious and encouraged by reading this list, continue on.
If you notice that you start to shut down or go into shame mode when reading the list, just pause where you are and reflect on what you’ve learned thus far.
You can always come back and read more when the time is right.
21 Common Success Blocks That Will Come Up On Your Entrepreneurial Journey
1. Stuck in Self sufficiency
Self sufficiency is a default that is quite familiar in entrepreneurial, work and productive lifestyles. If you grew up in a household where had to adult at an inappropriate age or if you have had experiences where you had to depend on yourself, self sufficiency can be a protective cocoon.
However, when you are developing a business, self sufficiency can be like a straight jacket, keeping you stuck an on repeat.
How to address this?
Ask for help in small doses.
Practice learning to trust others over time.
Observe people, get curious.
Remind yourself that there are so many people in this world and that most are quite different than the people you had to trust when you were younger. There are people you can trust and more importantly, you can trust your self.
The self trust you develop will allow your radar to know who you can let in and turn to. You can’t do this alone!
2. Imposter Syndrome
This is such a biggie, I created a whole 4 week course on it! Feeling like a fraud is really common when you are stepping into doing the things that you are actually amazing at. How counter intuitive right?
Imposter syndrome is a sign you are actually on the path to your heart’s desire because guess what? If what you were doing wasn’t so near and dear to your heart you wouldn’t care so much.
How to address this?
You can counteract imposter syndrome by acknowledging your core skills, remembering your successes on a daily basis, and listing the ways in which you’ve helped people before in these ways.
3. Convinced You are the Exception to Success-
The thing about feeling like the exception is that it’s deep rooted in shame. If you experienced things in your life where you felt alone, felt like you were different from everyone else, or felt like things were working out for others and not for you, the default will be to think there is something wrong with you.
There’s not!
This was just a defense mechanism to protect you from disappointment and the confusion you may have had because you were expected to just know things without learning them or you weren’t taught that it’s normal for different people to experience different things at different stages and times.
How to address this?
Counteract this belief by reviewing the universal laws (which you can find here in the resource library) which create a much bigger picture than a black and white one about what life is all about and the time it takes to achieve something substantial. Also, examine any childhood stories you have about being different, the exception or not good enough compared to others.
4. Perfectionism-
This is a another common one that shows up in business as attention to detail on the wrong things.
Perfectionism is another protection. It is a mask that keeps you safe, allegedly, by hiding from vulnerability.
If you learned at one point that you needed to stay in control of the way others saw you or needed to always have everything together, that nothing was ever good enough and that you needed to always raise the bar, then perfectionism will inevitably find it’s way into your entrepreneurial journey.
How to address this?
Make sure you are giving yourself credit on a daily basis for all the little and big things you are doing.
If you don’t give yourself credit, parts of yourself will be inclined to continuously raise the bar because they are looking for that approval.
Be the one who gives the parts of yourself approval because they will never be satisfied getting it from someone else until they get it from you.
Also, if these parts are still trying to gain approval from adults from the past, they will end up disappointed because if those adults could’ve given you what you needed then, they would have.
Also remember, just showing up is the success. Just being alive. Just being here. You are worthy just for existing. No amount of productivity and getting things “right” will add up to feeling worthy. Keep sending yourself love for just being you!
5. Fear of being seen (staying hidden)
Another success block is also intertwined with shame and is definitely a hurdle for most. The fear of being seen comes up quite often when starting to put yourself out there in front of others.
The thing is, if you want to be successful in a heart centered business where you are your brand, you are selling services where you are working with people, you will inevitably need to get visible.
How to address this?
Baby steps again is key. I have a day in my free facebook group where you can get visible by sharing a post about yourself or go live.
Finding ways to get vulnerable and share you, your face, and your story with people who are safe is a great way to begin putting yourself out there.
You don’t have to go ALL IN and feel like you are jumping into a pool of sharks. Do little steps of visibility exposure in small doses and watch how natural it starts to become for you!
6. Struggling with specificity
This is an incredibly common success block that shows up initially as resistance to even getting started with your business.
It is common with creative women, renaissance women, and absolutely kickass woman like you because let’s face it, you can do a lot of things, do them really well and have a lot of interests.
Myself included, I use to fear that getting specific would limit my opportunities, because more is more right? It’s not.
It actually makes your voice and message more blurry, just like an orchestra where every musician is playing whatever note they want at once.
How to address this?
Pick one note and really hone in on it.
Combatting this stage can often feel like taking one step forward and ten steps back.
Or those steps can feel like you are walking through quicksand.
However, overcoming this success block will reap a ton of rewards because getting specific with your message, ideal client, offer, etc. will be what makes you stand out, be profitable and happy!
If you have several skills sets, you can choose an umbrella for your business.
For example, I have a masters in social work and I’ve been a licensed clinician for over 10 years.
I have a yoga teacher certification, am an expressive abstract artist.
I have had my own business for 7 years, have healed years worth of traumas, I enjoy decor, wellness, meditation, photography and other lifestyle themes. I speak and love teaching about spirituality and I love empowering women to thrive.
Can you see how confusing this can be to narrow things down?
Now, remember that getting specific takes time and it’s always a work in progress.
It also doesn’t mean that you won’t change your mind eventually.
It also doesn’t mean that you can’t add more ideal clients and offers over time.
However, you need to decide what to focus on now and stay committed to that for the forseeable future (preferably a year) so that you can really start experimenting with strategies that are going to take off.
What you aren’t seeing behind the scenes of successful business owners is that they have done the painstaking process of building a foundation, testing out offers and tweaking them instead of scratching them completely, attracting the right clients and then learning how to scale this.
If you pick something and change your mind a few weeks, a month, or even a few months later, you haven’t given enough time to let those seeds you are planting germinate.
Trust me!
There is a rich, fertile ground for you in one of your passions. So pick the one that you can see yourself talking about for the next year or so.
Hone in on what you are good at and truly love while also seeing what there is a need for.
This way your ideal clients will see you as someone with a consistent message and will know for sure you are the right person to work with. This is how you will start selling out your offers!
Stay tuned for Part 2 and Part 3 of “How to overcome the most common success blocks that arise for newbie entrepreneurs.”
I’d love to know your thoughts and comments!
If you are ready to get specific with who your ideal client is so that you can build a profitable, sustainable business that also aligns with your heart centered values, I’d love for you to join me this spring for my upcoming, “Sell Out Your Heart Centered Services” Group Coaching Intensive.
After taking this intensive, you will know without a doubt who your ideal client is, you will know exactly how to get visible and be seen as an expert in your field, you will be on your way to attracting and growing your devoted audience, and you will have cleared the way through so many of these fears!
If you’d like to get on the waitlist and receive $100 off, you can do so here!
I’ll be back soon to chat more about how to overcome these success blocks so you can release doubt, get visible with confidence and start your business with heart!
Xo, Jen
P.S. Just starting your online business and have no idea where to begin?
Not ready to invest in a 10k coaching package but need a business foundation that honors you and your heart centered dreams?
I’ve got you! 💕
I’m sharing my FREE resource library for designing and upleveling your business with heart.
This has ALL of my printables, ebooks and mindset tips in one place to help you release self doubt, stop second guessing your genius and create your sustainable business foundation so you can become visible online with confidence! 💪
These resources combine practical business strategy with an intuitive foundation because this is the only way that has worked for me and my clients: the smart, empathic, creative types that we are 😉
I hope you enjoy opening your gifts!! You can access the resource library for free here: jennifermele.com/freeresourcelibrary
The Real Story Behind Growing a Social Media Account to Almost 10k Followers
It’s time to get honest about the behind the scenes of my business because I’m 99.9999999% sure that whatever you may be experiencing as you start and design yours, you are normal!
(Side note: this turned into a longer post than anticipated but I’m so happy I was able to articulate my experience in hopes that it will help you as well:)
I’ve learned a lot over the past 3 years and guess what, none of it is a mistake.
So don’t let anyone tell you that you could’ve done things differently because I believe we are all learning each step of the way.
I always tell my clients that as soon as they’ve embarked on the journey ( i.e made the commitment to be more aware, taken the step to be conscious and intentional and grow themselves and start their businesses) everything coming up from this point forward can be viewed as helpful towards their own healing, highest good, development and yes, success. No exceptions!
So what did it look like when I took my second shot at an online business?
(The first was back in 2012 which I will share in an upcoming post!)
Well, it all starts out sounding great.
3 years ago I started an art business because I’d developed a passion for painting and was painting up a storm!
My reasons were:
I always wanted an online business.
I was on a serious healing journey going on 8 years and counting,
Art was a release and my true self expression without needing words and it felt like such a reprieve from the often emotionally heavy focus of therapy.
It also felt like it was completely about me which was an amazing feeling!
After being a lifelong caretaker (which unsurprisingly led me to do therapy in the first place) I felt like I was regaining a huge aspect of the real me.
So per usual I got excited about art being a monetary prospect as well.
You see, that was my MO.
Acknowledging what I was good at and using it to the best of my ability to survive.
I grew up in a single parent home on welfare so my smart little child’s brain learned how to make the skills that I had useful.
Cut to my first real “business training” for my new venture.
It was on Instagram Marketing because that’s where I started sharing my art and I felt called to learn more about it. I quickly jumped in and initiated a pod with fellow students as a way to keep motivated and “get the algorithm working” for us.
I didn’t have any experience with selling a product.
This venture was actually quite different than my first business: an in person, service based private therapy practice with individual clients, groups and retreats.
So I started off blindly in this arena.
However, my passion was on fire!
(Side note: just like any relationship, passion can only sustain a business for so long if there isn’t a structure to support it. )
Fast forward and I grew an instagram account to almost 10k followers.
Sounds great doesn’t it?
Oh the coveted 10k.
Those promises of the algorithm kicking in, collaboration requests with the social “big-wigs” and the magical swipe up option in the stories feature.
I wanted all of that and more! It sounded so exciting- and profitable!
The problem was, I was downright exhausted, spending all of my energy on Instagram that I didn’t have time for anything else that would make a business run!
I would find myself worrying about contorting myself into a box to beat the algorithm.
This was sensitive territory for a recovering perfectionist like I am.
I would get tons of adrenaline hits from getting into top posts and a quick increase in followers but then I crash emotionally when certain posts didn’t do as good as I thought they would.
I remember I posted my first live painting video and it got over 20,000 views!
That’s what viral looks like and it does feel amazing.
A flood of new followers rushed to my account.
“Yes I thought. It’s happening. This is it. I’ll just repeat this!”
My second video probably got 800 views.
I was crushed and immediately started feeling bad.
This is the nature of the roller coaster I was on. Because I didn’t have a foundation, a why, coaching that acknowledged the emotions behind getting visible and enough experience to see that this was normal, I shied away more and more.
I started to get inconsistent with doing video because I was unconsciously avoiding rejection and the “crash” feeling.
Growing an Instagram account of that size without a business plan or the type of support I needed stirred up all sorts of stuff behind the scenes.
I was terrified to not post the suggested 3-5 times a day out of fear I’d “lose” followers and that would translate into me not being successful.
I thought I would be rejected if I couldn’t do all the things that I was told worked for the successful mentor I looked up to.
I saw other students worrying about the same thing and I interpreted the teacher’s response as disapproval.
My anxiety/excitement was at the forefront (anxiety and excitement are on the same continuum) and despite knowing short term gratification and excitement could be quite addictive for me, the highs so high that I couldn’t get off the roller coaster..
Most importantly, I didn’t understand how transformational knowing my why and committing to my message would be (not because I did anything wrong but because I was still learning how to show up online!) Now this is one of my favorite things to teach the women I work with!
And you know what else?
I could see a lot of this happening the whole time.
I had developed my awareness enough to recognize what was happening and yet the ride had taken off.
I see now that I just needed time. I needed to witness and experience and retry the same things so I could get to a point where I had enough information.
That information was a combination of how I was feeling, what results I was really looking for and what results I was actually experiencing.
All of that was intel to understand that this Instagram strategy wasn’t the right strategy for me.
It also meant really seeing how my art had become this commodity along the way that was having the joy sucked right out of it.
And there was more!
I wasn’t giving myself credit:
I made sales 1-2 times a month. “Hardly enough for a car payment,” my critical voice would chirp.
This was a milestone, yet I couldn’t give myself credit for it because perfectionism kept telling me I needed to be farther along than I was.
“Look how much that person is selling,” my critical voice would moan.
I didn’t realize I was comparing my beginning to someone else’s middle and that I was exactly where I was supposed to be in the process of building a business.
This is why I’m so transparent about the process so you can not be so hard on yourself too!
It’s very easy to use social media as a jumping off point for fantasy (as poster and viewer) and my mind made up all sorts of stories. What I was seeing was a snapshot, a crowded room with a lot of noise and without going deeper, I literally wasn’t getting the whole picture.
We need more honesty about the behind the scenes of what an online business takes.
No matter what you see, no one is an overnight success and a sustainable business is not built on virility and short term wins. It’s built on consistent actions taken over time that breed long term results.
While I was worried about not being good enough because according to the critical voice I wasn’t making enough sales, I was distracted from building long term connections with the right audience and implementing the strategies that would actually help me make more sales over time! (Self fulfilling prophecy at it’s finest :) !)
This is where I learned that followers do not = sales.
I’d heard it many times before but I needed to experience going down that road for myself.
I also learned that what I really needed was some solid business training and a foundation from a teacher with an attentive personality and a lot of experience.
Instagram marketing was one piece of the puzzle that could work for some and even be a nice addition to my marketing plan, but I was putting wayyy too many eggs in one basket.
My critical voice constantly compared my likes and comments to other people and wondered how they were doing “it” (i.e. getting so much engagement and traction.)
Again, this was totally dismissing my own accomplishments and not giving myself credit because the “not good enough” mantra was playing in my head.
This is also why the numbers don’t matter.
I was getting over 200 likes on a post and my critical voice was still comparing myself to the people who were getting 500, 800, 1,000. You get the picture.
If your critical voice is running the show it doesn’t matter how successful you are, how insta-famous you seem, it will feel like nothing is ever good enough.
Above all else, I needed to really honor that I had something important to say and share.
This is my heartfelt foundation that I use to remember why I am showing up and sharing my message in the first place. Do you know what yours is? I’d love to help you!
I would write a vulnerable post, get lot’s of comments, and then I’d never respond to them because I didn’t have the energy.
I wasn’t validating myself that vulnerable writing takes energy.
I was burning myself out trying to post 3-5 times a day using the strategy taught to help me grow quickly, yet that left me no energy to actually respond on the most engaging posts and comments! Or really do anything else for that matter.
Instead of building connections I was unintentionally abandoning potential friends, buyers, collectors and students because I was abandoning myself by not listening to how I was feeling with the strategy I was using.
Since I wasn’t taking care of myself or honoring my needs because I thought I had to do things a certain way (perfectionism again), the pressure began to build up more and more.
In addition, sharing my art was extremely vulnerable to me in the first place. It felt like the most raw thing I’d ever shared publicly.
I had resentful thoughts and feelings when I saw the vulnerable posts of others.
”Yes they have a story,” the critical voice would whine, “but you have an even “bigger” story. Why are they getting all of the attention and you aren’t? You must be doing something wrong. They must be more interesting than you.”
Cue my inner child who wanted attention and put down someone else in order to feel better.
Instead of acknowledging that the strategy I was using wasn’t working for me, I just kept distracting from the discomfort, feeling like a victim and like there was something wrong with me. Which is why it’s so important to keep doing your inner work as you grow a business because old thought patterns will get drudged up and repeat until you can clear them.
If you haven’t noticed the critical voice is my default programming.
It’s a great help to start to get to know yours.
It’s shows up as those all too familiar automatic responses that we learned at an early age to function in the world.
What finally changed it all?
First and foremost, staying curious, aware and continuously checking in with how I was feeling on a daily basis kept me learning from all of this.
The realization was finally able to sink in (after I’d burned out all the passion and excitement and was left with exhaustion) that I was doing what I always tended to do: pimp out my genius before I understood what or why I was doing what I was doing in the first place.
I had to admit that the way I was feeling was for a reason!
As I discovered my true heartfelt why, I realized the why I was using the the art business was based more on instant gratification and the short term reward of approval.
I wasn’t even enjoying sharing my art anymore because I felt so crushed. I found myself creating just to have something to post on instagram!
What I learned
I was feeling so beat up from my own thoughts of rejection I felt like I couldn’t expose myself one.more.time.
Ahh talk about stifling !
I learned, once again, that I always need to take time to receive and absorb my own inspiration first before sharing what I had learned with others, otherwise I would keep feeling like an emotional pimp time and time again.
I also realized I was accepting teaching from people that didn’t exactly resonate with me because I needed to internally decide that my learning style and needs were valid and deserve the right fit!
For example, noticing that I wouldn’t always get a response from my teacher helped me see that I want to show up differently for my students.
Despite all of this I am still grateful for those experiences because I needed to go through them to learn that I wanted to do things a different way.
I strongly believe that despite the bumps these were things I needed to work through, just as you will have your own journey.
Simultaneously, while we are doing our own work we are deepening into our raw truth the whole time.
When we use our experiences for their higher purposes it all turns into goodness that keeps aligning us and course correcting us onto a path that works for us.
And this will keep happening and continuing because there is always something new to learn!
These experiences aren’t failures. They are what makes you human and helps others connect to you as well.
So where am I now?
I had to take several long periods where I just let myself be off of Instagram.
I felt guilty about it at first, like I was missing out.
I would hear my teachers' words echoing in a judgmental voice that wasn’t even her own, “well if you don’t show up and take breaks than definitely no one will see you.”
It took me several breaks to actually listen to what my body was telling me which was “something is not right!”
I completely reorganized my business so that my art was a side component that would first and foremost honor my self expression without any pressure whatsoever.
I learned that for now keeping my art free from it becoming anything feels the most sacred at this time.
I started working with a business coach, Jessica Rodriquez, who aligned with this awesome idea that doing less can be better than doing more. Yes!
She is all about scaling online businesses and this sounded like heaven because my 1:1 capacity was capped and this could also give me more time to do my art!
I decided to let my art Instagram account be and just post when I felt called to.
Yes, the followers started going down, something the old me was so terrified about.
I remember when it actually started to feel like a relief to see the numbers go down.
This is when I knew things were changing for the better.
I was listening to my heart and needs instead of following someone else’s claim that I needed to do things a certain way.
Who wants to feel like they are forcing themselves to do something?
I know I don’t!
I started to pay attention to what felt good and I noticed that I was being led to start working with women in business.
I created an online program, signed a consulting client for a company with 100+ employees, cleaned up my website, my message and truly put myself first.
Now I’m working with creative, passionate, heart centered empathic ladies 1:1 and in online group programs to help them start their online businesses while honoring their hearts at the same time.
In the meantime, I hired a virtual assistant and I’m so happy I did!
It’s so amazing to have support and has freed up so much more time for me to create content and work with women like you directly because that is my favorite part.
So things are actually going better than ever and my new business is making wonderful progress.
Most importantly, I feel excited, open and expansive working on it and don’t feel pressured to fit myself into a box because I started and continue to show up with this business in a way that works for me and not anyone else!
I also am creating and painting again with a new level of detail and patience.
The Most Important Takeaway
Stay conscious.
When you are stuck or don’t know what to do gently observe yourself.
Take note without judgment, your experiences and your reactions as you go through trial and error.
Keep getting information about the people who are supporting you and the people who are not.
Keep paying attention to how you feel when you show up.
It is a process.
There are growing pains. And you are going to try out things and work with people and realize they aren’t the right fit.
However, what you will find along the way is what IS working.
You will discover who your people are, who your huge supporters are and things will start to move forward in a way that works for YOU.
That is why we want to have our own businesses in the first place, isn’t it?
I’m here for you!
I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments.
Have you had a similar experience with social media?
Are you feeling like it’s overly stimulating for you as well or that it’s making you a bit crazy?
If so, you can grab my free cheatsheet “Your not crazy, it’s social media!” here so that you can see the 5 point framework I developed to approach all of my social media interactions with meaning instead of from the old perspective that had me running for the hills!
Xo, Jen
P.S. Just starting your online business and have no idea where to begin?
Not ready to invest in a 10k coaching package but need a business foundation that honors you and your heart centered dreams?
I’ve got you! 💕
I’m sharing my FREE resource library for designing and upleveling your business with heart.
This has ALL of my printables, ebooks and mindset tips in one place to help you release self doubt, stop second guessing your genius and create your sustainable business foundation so you can become visible online with confidence! 💪
These resources combine practical business strategy with an intuitive foundation because this is the only way that has worked for me and my clients: the smart, empathic, creative types that we are 😉
I hope you enjoy opening your gifts!! You can access the resource library for free here: jennifermele.com/freeresourcelibrary
Easy & Super Simplified Business Plan Guide- Set Your Service Based Business Foundation
The ultimate guide to your lady boss business plan for the new year. Strategize while combining your intuition so that you can find the unique online business foundation for you. For women entrepreneurs, CEOs, female online business owners.
When you hear the words business plan do you start to groan inside? 😔
I get it. When I use to hear these words I would tune out into la la land and make a dismissive comment in my mind with some form of, “eh, what do I need that for?”
One of the main reasons I had this knee jerk reaction was because I didn’t really understand what a business plan was or why it was important.
It also drudged up the fear that a business plan would cramp my intuitive, creative style.
How could I know what to plan for in my business for the next year?
I didn’t want to feel constricted.
That’s why I started my own business 7 years ago: to have more flow and freedom!
The unconscious fear that creating a business plan would interfere with my creativity, passion and spontaneity.
Of course this wasn’t true, but it felt like it because at the time my personal and business life didn’t feel integrated.
Eventually, I learned that having a business plan is quite the opposite of interference.
Creating a business plan with presence (aka my intuition, higher power and universal help) actually helps me feel more flowy than if I left out one or the other.
Combining practical business strategies with an intuitive foundation becomes a gift that balances trusting inner guidance with inspired action.
Of course, my nerdy brain likes to know “why” the “things” work.
Which is what my body of work is all about!
How to connect the two realms by seeing them as an extension of one another.
While understanding that each components is supporting the larger whole!
When you create a business plan with your inner guidance, it will lift you up.
It will propel you towards the highest possible outcome.
It will help you focus on your heart centered goals and desires.
A business plan is not an attempt to control outcomes that cannot be controlled.
It’s an intentional summary of what you decide is in your control for the next several months.
It’s flexible, it’s experimental and it’s organic.
It’s intuitive and alive.
Now we’re talking!
With this new perspective I hope you start to see how important and helpful a simple, easy to understand business plan can be!
I’ve broken down each component of the business plan so that you can follow along with your own and understand the “why” behind it all.
1. Your Intentional Word of the Year
For all the woo I teach I have always gotten a visceral reaction to the word intention.
However, I’ve learned that it’s not actually the word or even the meaning that’s giving the reaction, it’s my own confusion, doubt, or misunderstanding about how it applies to me.
Often when I don’t understand or fear something, I energetically push it away as a default first. (Glad I’m catching it now more and more!)
Choosing an intentional word that represents qualities of your true self is a great way to remember cultivating them in the new year.
What we focus our attention on grows!
Having this intentional anchor is a way to shift our focus to what we are doing well. It also reminds us of the qualities that are our birthright.
Remember, the qualities of our true self help us to prevent distraction and allow us to recalibrate when we get distracted. They do this because these qualities always live here, in the present moment.
2. Get Clear on Your Heart Centered Why
Oh the heart centered why …. how I love thee.
The “heart centered why” is the first step towards creating a solid and supportive foundation for your business.
It is the starting point on the roadmap to Confident CEO mastery which lives within.
It's another anchor moving forward, rooted in your values, that you can constantly lean into whenever twists and turns occur as you develop your business.
It’s exactly what I use to stay connected to my heart in business each and every day.
Do you have one?
If so, have you reflected on it lately?
Why would you need a heart centered why anyways?
✔️ It’s the blueprint for your new or evolving business that will align you moving forward
✔️ It’s the compass that allows your ideal clients to discover you
✔️ It's the platform for your meaningful mission and message
✔️ It empowers your genius so you can get visible online (which means getting paid for doing what you love)
✔️ It is your anchor when challenges arise.
✔️ The beauty of the why is that it's not one and done.
The deeper you go in your life and business journey, the more you have to revisit your why if you value staying connected and fulfilled versus just going through the motions.
The heartfelt why is vital in creating a sustainable business that honors your heart. Of course I got you. You can dig deep into yours with my free 3 day ecourse.
3. Your Ideal Client Description
I’m sure if you’ve been circling around the business world half a minute you have heard people saying how important it is to know your ideal client and to get as specific as you possible can.
Being visible in the online world requires getting super clear on your ideal client so that your voice + message is like a clear, bold, bright light guiding your ideal clients to you.
This is important for in person marketing but even more important online because there is so much stimulation coming into our perception at any given moment.
The clearer you are about where your ideal client hangs out, what they like, what their personality is and what the specific problem they need help with, the easier you will be seen over time.
Your ideal client is a foundational component of your business plan!
4. Set Your 3 Month Goal
Often times we don’t get started on developing our business because it feels super overwhelming. Fear of doing things perfectly, fears of success and doubts about putting yourself out there all will inevitably creep up as you desire and take action on getting visible.
This is why having a 3 month goal on your business plan will break things down into simpler steps. It gives you the opportunity to experiment with your strategies, gives you a time frame so you can evaluate your results and provides valuable information so you can tweak whatever needs it for the next 3 month period.
5. What is your Value-Providing Freebie? (This is the sample of your teachings or product)
You may have heard it described as a freebie, opt-in or lead magnet. They are one in the same.
Freebies are nifty little samples (think ice cream shop tasting) of what you have to offer.
Freebies can be cheatsheets, pdfs, audio recordings, video trainings . . . you name it.
Freebies are a sample of how to solve one small step in the problem that your ideal client is struggling with,
What’s nice is that in exchange for giving out your free samples, your potential clients will give you their email so you can send it to them.
This is how they get to know you, your style and get to know you better.
You are also providing quick answer to one of the first steps of their problem.
6. Offer You Love That Solves Your Ideal Client’s Problem (The vessel of Connection & Transformation)
Your offer is where your ideal clients will pay you for your entire process to solve their problem.
You provide the info, the energy, the transformation, maybe even your presence, in exchange for their money (their energy) and hopefully engagement!
Start viewing your paid offers in this way. They are vessels and it is an energy exchange that works for both of you.
Just providing a freebie that gives only a small piece of the puzzle is not going to help everyone and your clients will be looking for your support to go deeper.
These are your ideal clients and they need the whole picture . . . which you have!
FYI! Choose 1 offer kids.
So often we have a ton of ideas (I wouldn’t expect anything different from a lovely creative!) however, the influx of ideas can actually be a deterrent when it has us starting over again and again and not making traction on a specific offer.
Start with 1 offer and fine tune that one.
Just like the freebie, you can always add in another one in due time.
7. The Top 3 Marketing Strategies You Do Best
Yes, we live in an era where there is more on top of more with a side of more. There is always another platform, another collaboration, another way of putting yourself out there. The beauty is, you don’t have to do #allthethings. You get to keep things simple with what you do best.
Over time, you may wish to invest more (via time, energy or money) to add some new marketing angles.
You might decide to outsource the tasks to a VA or manager who can take certain marketing strategies off your plate.
Until then, be honest with yourself about what you can do.
Start with one thing and see if you can stay consistent with it.
You can re-evaluate and see if you want to add another in time.
8. Consistent Content Creation
Value, visibility, consistency. All things that can be addressed through choosing a type of content (blog, podcast, video) that you can produce weekly to showcase your expertise and style.
Again, choose 1 to start! If you can stay consistent with one over time, you can always add more. Make sure to send out your amazing content to your email list each week as well.
9. Social Media Platform of Choice
Another place to share your content? Social media. Pick 1! Noticing a theme here? Keep it simple of course. This is a great way to find out more about where your ideal client likes to hang out.
You won’t know until you start experimenting to commit to one platform for 3 months and see how your engagement is! If it’s not working, you can always change the platform after that or if it is, maybe then you can add another.