When I started by business I was still working full time. I had clients evenings and weekends. Then I wanted to do more of it so I started to cut down, gradually going more and more part time in my office job. I went down to 4 days a week, then 3.5. Eventually I took a couple of part time jobs that allowed me more time flexibility to do the work I was passionate about – my own business – and honestly, this also got me out of an office job that I just didn’t want to be in.
The paradox of a personal brand is how to create one without being egocentric. Because really, it’s not about you and your success. Yes in a personal brand you need to share your story, but this must always be with the purpose of making these relevant for your audience, to inspire something bigger, wider, a movement that you have ‘cracked’ in some way and choose to teach others.
Your book becomes a platform to showcase what you’re about, what you’ve learnt, what you have to share with others that can help them, why you do what you do and the contribution you want to make out in the world. It’s not just a business tool. The thoughts and ideas you share here are part of your core teachings, message, part of why you do what you do. Yes. All that in just one book.
Are you starting to earn more money in your business than ever before, but at the end of the month you’ve got nothing to show for it? Quite a few of my clients lately who have reached around the $10k a month mark get on the phone with me and say, “Hang on, where’s all that money gone? I’ve got nothing to show for it?”
You’re stuck. That old deer in headlights scenario. You’ve got a ton of ideas, you know, more or less, what you want to offer and it feels really good but somehow you can’t put your finger on exactly what it looks like. Something’s missing. You’re so close yet so far and it’s so frustrating.
You know your message, you’ve got your story, but you’re not that weird or original. In fact, you feel quite ordinary (on the outside, even though you know how deep you go on the inside). You don’t want to be overly vulnerable and share all your despairs and tribulations. And you don’t have to. Why being ordinary is original…
When our daughter was but a twinkle in our lovers’ eyes, we talked about how wanted to be as parents, what we wanted for ourselves, individually, and what we wanted for our future children. Bringing my business online was part of the plan with the intention to retire my love (boyfriend, not husband, our kids have his surname ‘just in case’!) so that he could work with me in my business to give us ultimate freedom based living…
In this world of information overload, promises of nirvana via your online business and which success milestones you ‘should’ be aiming for, it can be difficult to tune into and stay true to what it is you really want. You start off knowing what you want but it seems that the deeper you get into it, at times, the more confused you get.
This happened to a client of mine recently (minus the yard hen). She hesitated, she doubted, she waited before launching her offer even though she knew it was a valuable one…and then someone she knows put out a similar offer. It looked great. Ugh. She felt gutted. Understandably so, I would be too.
