Do you ever struggle with even knowing what to say?
Do you sit down to write a blog post or newsletter and stare at the blank page?
Do you go to create a new post on social and have the distinct feeling that you’re just adding to the noise?
Do you get an email or dm from someone and don’t even know what to write in the reply?
Or maybe someone asks you what you do and you trip over your words as you try to explain your business?
I have a theory about this…
Confusion at the day-to-day tactical level is a symptom of confusion at the strategic ‘big picture’ level.
No number of blog post idea cheat sheets, social media swipe files, or elevator pitch templates can correct the issue.
You need to zoom out, see the whole picture, and make some decisions.
Decisions at the strategic level of your business are the beacon light for every other choice you need to make, but they are easy to de-prioritize while you’re stumbling around in the dark.
The reason making those big, high-level decisions is so difficult is also the reason why we need to do it:
They have a major impact on your business.
Right Now…
Blogs and newsletters have become so transactional or de-personalized. I miss the old-school content. Opening up a newsletter or clicking on a favourite blogger’s site to get a glimpse into what was happening in their lives at that moment.
‘Right Now’ is a monthly digest to recapture that personal nature of email newsletters and blogs.
What I’m thinking about:
Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how to build a sellable business as a personal brand.
When you are literally the face and the name of the business, is it possible to build an exit strategy?
What happens to your business if you get critically sick? Want to retire? Decided that you want to work on something else?
Does all the time and energy you spent developing your offers, processes, client base, and results/social proof go to waste?
Can a service-based business have the potential to generate revenue while still becoming a sellable asset for the owner?
I say yes – but you have to be very intentional about the structure.
Each service or offer must be turned into a product that includes its own brand and IP so that it is an asset that could be sold.
What I’m reading:
I set a goal to read 100 books this year and while I’m 6 books behind schedule, I’ve read 24 so far in 2022.
I recently re-read Big Magic by Liz Gilbert. The first time I tried to read it, I couldn’t get into it. The next time, I was totally ready for the messages about facing your fear as a creative (and for the record, I consider entrepreneurship to be highly creative) and read it twice in a row. Now it’s been a couple of years, so I thought I’d see if it still resonated with me.
Spoiler alert: it did.
Currently, I’m reading Difference by Bernadette Jiwa which is a marketing book that recommends telling the story of the difference you make, rather than just telling people how you are different.
I always seem to have multiple non-fiction books on the go but I try to keep fiction to one at a time.
For the past few nights, I’ve been staying up way too late reading a book called Must Love Books by Shauna Robinson.
It is about a woman who has been stuck in a dead-end publishing job. The company keeps killing the culture and morale of its employees while expecting them to be excited to take on more work for less pay. I should be able to see how it ends tonight, and I can’t wait 🙂
What I’m listening to:
I usually have something to share here, but I haven’t been spending a lot of time listening to podcasts or music recently…
Opportunity cost for some of the other things I’ve been focusing on, I guess.
What I’m working on:
I’m working on developing a 2-part service business model to help coaches who want to have a greater impact with:
- A mini-service to refine their niche and specialty.
- A more involved service to develop a signature coaching program and methodology that is uniquely positioned in the market.
One thing that I’ve noticed is how many coaches complete their certifications which have provided them with the skills and tools they need to be a coach, but does not set them up with the skills and tools to create a successful service-based business.
What I’ve shipped:
I recently posted daily on LinkedIn for over a month. It’s a small thing to ship, but it was a good challenge to place upon myself now that I’ve done a bit of work on the ‘what to say’ rut mentioned above.
(full disclosure: I missed a day or two and didn’t make myself feel bad)
Creating content daily is a great way to clarify your thinking, establish your authority on a topic, and reach more people.
From the numbers perspective, my posts were seen 18k times and I added 200 followers.
Did it move any major business goals forward? No.
I took a few days off to evaluate if daily posting is still the best use of my time after the experiment, and while I won’t beat myself up if ‘fall off the wagon’ I plan to keep creating content each day for the foreseeable future.
I actually really enjoyed it and look at it as an investment my future self will thank me for.
If we’re not already connected, you can find my profile here.
What I’m enjoying:
I’ve been getting up early and taking my dog for walks while I listen to a book or video from an online course, and somehow I’ve been ending up at the Starbucks nearby almost every morning.
I tell myself it’s because I want to better socialize my pup, but really it’s nice to make getting out and going somewhere a regular part of my morning routine.
Also, I recommend the Brown Sugar Oat Milk Blonde Americano 🤣
What I’m grateful for:
It might sound strange, but at this moment I’m grateful for all the circumstances and problems I don’t want in my life.
Don’t get me wrong, my life is pretty great. But, as with everyone, there are things that cause me stress or annoyance or show me that I have a weird reaction to them.
I’m grateful for these because they are helping me to create a clearer picture of the future that I want to work toward.
Quote of the month:
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” – Maya Angelou
To bring it all back around, what are the big decisions you’ve been avoiding in your business? What goals or policies could you put in place to make the day-to-day decisions about how to operate and implement easier?
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