That was the question I wanted to ask my client.
We had been discussing the logistics of her MVP (minimally-viable product) and I had helped her overcome every objection she could think of.
We made the RSVP goal smaller.
We figured out a free venue.
We discussed how to survey participants before the event so she could tailor it to their needs.
We talked about how she could also speak to her participants before the event so she could build rapport with them and learn more about how she could help them.
We figured out a stripped down RSVP process that wouldn’t require a lot of technical know-how.
We planned out when to send the invitation to her email list and who could give her feedback about her event description.
Any and every objection had been addressed.
Yet… she was not enthusiastically running forward with her idea, an idea she had been talking about for months and not taking action on.
So, I told her a story about a friend who had received a ton of advice about her business from well-meaning colleagues who never stopped to ask what was holding her back from taking her business to the next level.
This friend had been nearly doubling her business three years in a row and was feeling stuck at her current plateau, not knowing how to break through to the next level.
I congratulated my friend on all of her success and pointed out that she was a smart and savvy businesswoman and if she really wanted to do more she would be doing it – something was stopping her.
And that’s when she finally shared what was holding her back.
She was worried about how her insecure partner was going to feel about her making more money than them.
“Well,” I said, “then you’re not going to commit to the work you need to do until you’ve addressed this concern or you’ll need to redefine what success is and be content with where you are.”
I told my client that it’s easy to tell people “You just need to do this or that…” but helping them uncover the block that’s preventing them from taking action – that’s a different skill set.
My client took this all in and then shared what, deep down, was holding her back.
It was an old wound that she thought she had dealt with, but was quickly realizing that was what was causing her to drag her feet.
Your Challenge For This Week
Have you been struggling to move a project forward?
Are you telling yourself a story about how external issues are the reason?
Is that a true story or is there more to it?
If every one of those obstacles was resolved, would you still be holding back?
If so, then that needs to be addressed before you can make real progress in your business.
Or, you’ll need to redefine success and stop dragging around this to-do item that you never intend to do.
That will free up psychic space to work on something that you are truly committed to.
Try this and let me know how it goes!
Business Growth Strategist & Business Coach
As a relationship-based business growth strategist, I work directly with a limited number of self-employed professionals, aka solopreneurs.
WHO YOU ARE:
You want to have a greater impact and increased income. The problem is that there are so many options for how to build your business that you can feel stuck, overwhelmed, and like you’re running out of time.
The reason options are overwhelming is that you’re looking at them as a series of disconnected steps, when to make the most of your time, you need a strategy that connects only the most important and highest impact ones.
You know that if you try to do everything, you’ll accomplish nothing. This means, to achieve your goal, you have to invest in a strategy to put time on your side.
What’s Included:
As a relationship-based business growth strategist, I will work with you to design a year-long plan that consists of three 12-week sprints, each followed by 4 weeks of reflection/assessment, rejuvenation/vacation, and strategic planning. This will allow you to sequence your goals, create momentum, and leverage your limited time.
We can build your plan through a half-day strategy session, a coaching engagement, or a mastermind program.
These are not right for everyone; they’re personalized offerings and are priced accordingly.
What might you work on?
In my coaching work with entrepreneurs and solopreneurs, we focus on the areas where you’d like to grow, which may include:
- Creating a strong sales conversation framework
- Building your referral network
- Lead generation through a relationships
- Growing your visibility in your industry
- Increasing your ability to attract the right kind of clients
- Identifying and launching a minimally viable offer
- Breaking through whatever bottleneck is holding you back from getting the results you want and deserve
- Becoming a published author and marketing your book successfully
- Improving your virtual presentation skills
Learn more about the different ways we can work together – deep dive 3-hour session, private 1:1 coaching, and masterminds. I’m excited to support you in reaching or exceeding your goals.
Stay Connected:
- Connect with me on LinkedIn to see the content I share.
- New to my website? Start here
- Listen to my On the Schmooze podcast – weekly since July 2016.
