attracting an audience

I have a confession.

I hate making mistakes.

I always have.

I get super embarrassed by them and never want to admit them to anyone else (even though others have probably already noticed and honestly, who likes someone that never admits they make mistakes?).

At the start of this year, I wrote about all the different things I did to upgrade my business and life last year (which led me to double my business income and make more money than I ever have before). It was a lot of fun to think about all the positive changes that I made and look at their direct effect on my lifestyle.

BUT here’s the thing.

Even though I fully support paying attention to what works for my business (and attempting to only focus on the good stuff), the truth is that in order to continue to scale my business + be a leader, I need to also be able to look at the mistakes I’m making and the things that aren’t working.

If I can’t do that then  I will limit my growth and my business may even plateau. I also won’t be able to help my clients to the best of my abilities because I’ll be a bit of a hypocrite. I might even miss out on amazing opportunities just because of a fear of failure or admitting that I’m wrong.

Plus, if I’m making mistakes then you may be too. And I can’t help anyone by keeping them to myself and acting like they don’t exist.

So as we move into the first quarter of the year, I’ve taken some time time to assess my business for any mistakes that I’m making so that I can stop making them and allow my business to grow more. The thing is that these are mistakes that you may be making as well, so I figured I’d share them below with you.

Let’s stop making these mistakes now so we can be more effective for clients + customers and become more profitable too.

1. Avoiding the reality of our numbers

There are soooo many numbers that we need to be aware of in our business — profits, expenses, income goals, number of clients, taxes, and savings goals are just a few of these numbers.

Okay so maybe you know how much you want to make this year, but do you know how much you will sell to reach that number? And do you know how many people you will need to come into contact with to achieve those sales?  And are you factoring in business expenses + taxes + savings for retirement into those numbers?  I know that those last few things I just mentioned aren’t much fun (really unless you’re an accountant, who are taxes fun for?), but the truth is you MUST familiarize yourself with those numbers so that you do not find yourself in debt.

Looking over my numbers this past month has let me realize I need to create more passive income streams and courses so that I can continue to be of services to my 1:1 clients and mastermind group without getting worn out.  

I avoid creating content but I can’t do that much longer if I want to grow.  I’ve also realized that I’ve been avoiding the reality of the cost of healthcare insurance  + that I’m going to have to increase my income goals if I want to be able to pay that with ease when I have to change benefit plans in a few months.  We all have hidden expenses we avoid and it doesn’t help any of us to ignore them.

2. Stepping back when things get difficult

Okay so I might be a bit of an avoider so the truth is that when things start to feel too “hard” — for example when I have to deal with payment issues or when I have to ask for the sale or when I have to create content, I tend to ignore these things as long as possible.

This results in them becoming bigger problems than necessary!

The key to fixing this mistake is having awareness of the situations that make you want to run in the opposite direction and coming up with a clear plan to deal with them instead of thinking about all the bad things that might happen when you do.  

The truth is we waste a lot of time and energy thinking about all the potential bad scenarios that can result from these difficult situations, and if we just spent that time focused on a plan to tackle the actual difficult situation, we’d get it take care of more quickly, we’d waste less resources (usually energy, time, + money), and we’d feel less stressed.

Also, don’t be afraid to get help for these situations.

While I haven’t figured out how to get someone to ask for the sale for me, I have allowed my assistant to take over lots of my tech tasks which has allowed me to have more energy so I can create content (which is why you’re reading this fab blog!).

3. Being unwilling to adjust when things don’t go your way

Okay so I can be a bit of a control freak at times. And when things don’t go EXACTLY the way I pictured it, I’m sometimes really quick to want to give up OR be really unpleasant to whoever breaks that news to me.  

And that’s not fair to them or to myself. Plus we can lose out on really great opportunities that might happen if we just tweak things a bit.

Sometimes our ideas are still good but they just need to be re-worked a bit. It’s important to be willing to adjust things and change things if they’re not working out the way you planned or else you may waste a LOT of time and energy.  

The truth is if you’re too rigid, there will be a breakdown eventually. But if you’re more flexible and willing to adjust, you’ll be able to bounce back pretty good when things don’t go your way.

I haven’t had many direct bosses in my life, but the ones that I liked working with the best were the ones who didn’t see things as black and white. They were willing to adjust when things didn’t go their way and they were willing to have a conversation about how things could go differently.

The best leaders and business owners will be willing to deal with things that don’t go their way and find new possibilities and solutions even when it seems like none exist.

4. Getting distracted by what others are doing.

One of the biggest mistakes I made in the first year (and still make!) of my business was not staying in my own lane. I constantly looked at what others were doing and judged myself for not being as successful as them.

The truth is I had no idea how successful they actually were and it shouldn’t have even mattered to me. My time and energy is better spent focusing on my own business.

If you’re constantly worried about the work that others are doing or comparing your business to theirs, then you’re likely to stay stuck when trying to grow your own business. It’s distracting to look at what others are doing and it often leads to us make decisions that aren’t always the best for us because we feel the need to try and keep up with others.

Stay in your own lane. Focus on your own work and what your ideal clients and customers need you to create for them. Spend more time learning about them rather than looking what others who do similar work to you are up to.

Remember, you have no idea what the behind-the-scenes of their business actually looks like and there are plenty of people out there that need you and your special skill set!

5. Stop playing small (and hiding!)

One of the things that has been hard for me to do as an entrepreneur is to put myself out there and stay visible consistently. There are times where I make sure that I’m in front of people and helping them but it can wear me out and then I disappear for awhile.

This is not good for my potential clients because I don’t make it easy for them to find me when they need me.

The truth is that there are many distractions out there and you need to stay in front of your potential clients and let them know how they can work with you. Be clear and let them know what problems you solve for them. Ask them if they want to work with you. Just waiting for them to come across your website and sign up that way is playing small. 

You’re making it extra hard for them to find you and you want to make it as easy as possible for them to be able to pay you.

Also, by hiding you’re making it hard for them to learn about who you are. Get out there and share your personal experiences and stories so that you people can genuinely connect with you. This will help them know, like, and trust you more and make it more likely that they will sign on to work with you.

So, let me know — which one of these mistakes are you ready to stop making? Let me know in the comments below!
www.nicoleliloia.com

P.S. Need some support in becoming a more successful boss in your business? CLICK HERE and grab a free 30 minute clarity call so that you make more money doing work you love.

 

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