The Three Biggest Game Changers For My Business So Far
I talk a lot about being a game changer - it’s a mindset that I’ve embraced since starting my creative coaching business and it’s been a huge driving force that’s allowed me to reach my goals and build a business that is both profitable and purposeful. Building a creative business isn’t easy, and for a long time I watched others making their dreams a reality and just couldn’t figure out how I was going to do it myself. But then I just leaped into it and now six months later I have a business that brings in a full time income, will soon allow for me to bring someone else on the business part time, and lets me spend my days working with the dreamiest of clients and creating content and products that I’m crazy excited about.
If you’re working crazy hard right now to build a business that feeds your soul as much as it does your bank balance, I want to share with you three of the biggest game changers in my business so far. Looking back over these past six months, these have been some of the biggest things that have allowed me to make things happen and my hope is that by sharing them with you they can be a jumping off point to help you explore what could become a game changer for you and your online business.
1. Starting A Podcast
Launching Make It Happen has been a seriously awesome experience so far. Not only has it been awesome to be a beginner at something again and learn a brand new medium from scratch, but it’s been a great way for me to show up more with my work and be of more service to my audience. More than that, it’s also been a great way to build connections with other creatives and share ideas and start conversation within our community.
For me, starting a podcast was a way for me to uplevel my online content. I wanted to show up in a bigger way and push myself with a new outlet and it’s been a great way to share my voice and my ideas, connect with a wider audience, and also attract new dream clients too.
Takeaway for you: This step isn’t here to tell you that you need to start a podcast if you want to build a successful online business. The biggest takeaway is that showing up, being brave and bold with how we create and share content, and pushing ourselves to raise the bar can play a huge part in our growth as creative entrepreneurs. How can you uplevel your online presence? I really do believe that the magic happens when we create outside of our comfort zone, so how can you show up and share your ideas, your message, and build brand awareness online?
Starting a podcast taught me that if we stand still, so will our business. So if we want to make big things happen we have to be willing to push ourselves creatively and always be moving forward with our work and our content. Maybe for you it is a podcast, or maybe it’s videos, or an awesome email series, or maybe a digital magazine. Whatever it is, don’t be afraid to embrace the challenge of a new way to show up and share your voice with your audience.
2. Honing In On My Ideal Client & Creating Content Just For Them
I’m a huge believer in the power of content marketing - I’ve talked about it and shared some of my ideas many times including here, here, and here. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that content marketing is way more than just showing up and saying something useful - it’s about tapping into exactly who it is you want to attract and then creating content just for them.
A huge part of my work is about serving those who I can serve best, and a big part of this is just about showing up and being of service through my online content. The day I stopped caring about appealing to everyone and instead focused on attracting the right people for me is the day I unlocked the true potential that my content has to be a game changer for my business. I know exactly who it is I’m creating for and I stay true to that each and every time I show up online.
Takeaway for you: If you want to utilise your online presence as a marketing tool for your creative business, my best advice is to adopt an Attract & Repel mindset. Your content has the awesome opportunity to attract dream clients and customers, build relationships, connections, and trust, and market your services and products in a way that feels authentic and not salesy. The trick is to know exactly who it is you’re creating for, and then serving those people every single step of the way. Content can be a seriously powerful marketing tool and game changer, but only when we create something that is purposeful and focused.
3. Word Of Mouth Referrals
This one is starting to play a huge part in the growth of my business. Second to my content marketing, word of mouth referrals are also how I now reach new clients and continue to bring in a regular stream of work. I’m now working with an 8 week waiting list for one-on-one clients and word of mouth has without a doubt played a huge part in that. Previous and current clients recommending me to their online communities and creative peers and friends and sharing the results they’ve achieved through our time working together has allowed me to reach even more potential clients and accelerate the growth of my business in a way that I couldn’t do through my own marketing alone.
Word of mouth referrals aren’t something we can predict or plan for. I don’t know they’re happening until a client enquiry pops up in my inbox from someone who mentions they were recommended by a previous client, and for the majority of my service-based coaching clients word of mouth referrals play a huge part in their growth and client leads too.
Takeaway for you: Your business growth cannot exist in a vacuum of just your voice and your online presence. Once you start doing the work, those results and client and customer relationships start to play a huge part in defining your brand and building weight behind the work that you do. So show up and do good work every single time you work with a customer or client. Commit to making your client process, your products, and your services as good as they can be, and build a business that is worth those word of mouth referrals. Running a business is way more than just bringing in the work, but also making the work you do as good as it can be. So spend as much time working on your business and exploring how you can serve your clients and customers best as you do on your marketing and content, because new clients and customers aren’t worth anything if you’re not actually providing value and an awesome experience through your services and products.
To Finish
Everyone’s business growth and evolution will be different for them, and tapping into the ways we can proactively work towards our bigger goals is a huge part of making things happen. All three of these things that have been a game changer for me so far may not be as relevant for you and your business, but my hope is that they can spark some ideas and motivation to help you figure out what will work best for you. Things don’t happen just because we want them to, we have to work damn hard to build our brand and business, but I’ve seen what’s possible for both myself and my clients when we tap into the game changers for our business and my hope is that you can do the same too.
Let me know in the comments below - what has been a game changer so far for you in building your business, brand, and online presence?
P.S
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