“I’ve only been in business a few years, I’ve already spent so much money on programs and courses but I’m still struggling”
“I need more clients now but I don’t know how to get them”
“Where am I going to get the money from this month? Something has got to change”
“I’m so overwhelmed with information, I don’t know what to do next”
“I’m so passionate about this! Why isn’t it working for me?”
I totally get this because I was there too, as have the majority of entrepreneurs that I know. The thing is, you start off full of promise of success, with a big vision but can easily end up in a place where you’re working long hours just about fitting your life in around your business, questioning why you started in the first place and if you’re ever going to get there. It can be really demoralising, disheartening and, if you let it, deeply depressing. You end up in a place where you’re just existing, getting by without the time to prepare healthy meals, take the time for yourself or even see friends.
If this rings true for you, be kind to yourself. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last ambitious business owner to experience this before the breakthrough. Staying in the game can be the toughest thing you ever have to do but you do it anyway. Because you have a purpose, a message that you want to get out there, so you keep on.
The simple thing I want to say here is that this totally shifts when you find the right mentor.
Promises in this or that system, clever marketing and well chosen words are shared with good intention because this what worked for that person. And they want to help you achieve success without suffering for as long as they did to get there. Your Facebook newsfeed will show you one coach telling you that focusing on branding is the way forward. The message above that will tell you to forget branding and clarify your message as you go along. Their way of doing things might or might not work for you.
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert the style of marketing you use will be different, as will your web presence. Your personal likes or dislikes will largely dictate what you focus on, whether it be your website, advertising, copy, branding, social media, program creation, networking – because ultimately, you will spend time on and invest in what you find most interesting (rightly or wrongly when it comes to business, but still, we each make our own decisions based on our sense of perceived urgency, need or desire).
* Before choose a mentor think about what you want to achieve through working with them. What exact results are you looking for? What kind of support do you need exactly?
The next step is to choose a mentor who is where you want to be (and yes, always have a mentor. No one was ever meant to do this on their own. You don’t have to either).
* Do they have a lifestyle that inspires you? Do they have the relationship or family life that you desire? Does the way they do business feel good to you? Are their values similar to yours? Do they present themselves in a way that motivates you to do better, be better? Are they someone that you aspire to be like, all the while allowing the space for you to develop your own version of this?
* Have they got or had a successful business before or are they fresh out of the box giving business coaching/mentoring. Are they still working though the whole work/life balance thing or have they been there, done that and have it pretty sussed out?
Don’t be afraid to ask.
Those are the questions to ask yourself. ‘Thinking’ alone as to which program you need to do next to achieve results doesn’t guarantee your success. Feel into it. What feels right within?
I know it can get confusing and look like a jungle out there. After bumbling along nicely in my first couple of years of business quite happily making $1-3000/month, for a long time thinking that the 5 figure months were out of my reach, I then decided to seriously uplevel to make a bigger difference, to reach more women who wanted to create extraordinary freedom and lives for themselves. I was ready to follow my dreams with my family. And boy did that come with challenges – new level, new devil. It’s hard. But it’s worth it. So worth it when you know you’re making a bigger difference in your life, out in the world and working with the most amazing clients.
Always listen to your gut.
