Life is meant to be lived and that’s why we make it a priority to step away from our normal routines and enjoy things that make us happy.
But it wasn’t always this way. Last time I talked about my Big Wake Up Call and how I created a high-paying manual labor job for myself. This week I want to get into the specifics of the changes you’ll need to make to scale up your impact and income as a service-driven entrepreneur.
The good news is that this isn’t as complicated as you might think. So if you’re ready to scale up your impact and income from where you are now, here are FIVE important things to consider.
1. OWN YOUR LIMITATIONS
You’ve GOT to embrace the fact: there’s only so much YOU to go around. You have a finite amount of creative energy and time. Because you are finite like the rest of us, you’re going to have to ask for help, hire help, or barter for help. Either way, you’ll need help, and it’s going to cost you something.
This is tricky is because you got to where you are now by YOU being really good at ______ (speaking, coaching, consulting, writing, etc).
Scaling up your impact and income will demand that you find leverage in your business and set up systems, teams, and processes that will allow you to remain in your ‘Zone of Brilliance’ as much as possible.
2. RUN BUSINESS DIAGNOSTICS
Which products, services, or messages are generating the most revenue RIGHT NOW? What marketing approaches or systems have you used that have worked the best? Where have you noticed income plateaus? Any decreases? Is there something your customers keep asking for but you keep ignoring?
What’s not going well is or is simply draining life from you? What do you love and need to protect? Do you need to let go of something GOOD to make space for something BETTER?
What’s your cost per lead? Cost per customer? Lifetime value of a customer? What’s the ROI of that recent marketing campaign you ran?
Answering questions like these requires some hard thinking, some research, and even – gulp – some math. But the resulting clarity will help you know what needs to change.
“Aha moments” only show up once you’ve done the hard-thinking.
3. LEARN TO SAY “NO”
As we get our business rolling, we start developing certain habits. These habits serve us well at first, but they have to change to accommodate growth.
For example, in the coaching business we tend to focus on booking as many “discovery sessions” as possible. Our habits develop around the tasks needed to accomplish that goal. But if we want to scale our coaching business, we’ll actually have to get better at filtering our leads and SAYING NO to some clients in order to create the time, energy, and focus for building out new facets of our business (like a podcast, a new leveraged service or an event).
At first, that won’t compute. You’ll think, “Why would I do that when I could just get on call and make $5K?”
Well if you’re after long term growth, impact, and influence, you have to understand that saying “NO” will allow you to expand your business in ways that can earn many multiples of your coaching fee.
4. MAKE A CLEAR PLAN TO SCALE UP
Too many of us jump to this one first because it’s the most fun…and fail as the result. We dream up new idea after new idea without doing the prep needed to make those ideas sustainable.
I get that.
Like you, I’d rather start new things than finish things I’ve started. Especially when things get a little boring or tedious or just plain difficult. (which they always will)
I’ve accepted the fact that sustainable success happens when you move ideas from dream to done.
So don’t start writing a book to compliment your consulting business if you don’t already have a sustainable consulting business going. Don’t create that online course if you haven’t already road-tested the material. And don’t skip the steps of owning your limits, taking inventory, and setting up systems or you’ll just be getting in your own way again.
(I showed you HOW to do this in my recent FREE Master Class)
5. FIND A TEAM OF PEOPLE GOING WHERE YOU WANT TO GO
Join a fast moving team of people that are heading where you want to go and glean all you can. This last one will make #1-4 easier, faster, and more productive. In fact, I believe it might be the single greatest thing you can do to successfully scale up your business.
Why?
Because learning from others who are heading in the same direction will significantly reduce the time and cost involved in amplifying your own impact and income. It will also help you avoid obstacles you’re not yet aware of, jump over pitfalls that have already been navigated, and soar past the traps that have already been successfully broken through.
I personally invest in mentors and masterminds that are achieving results similar to what I am looking to accomplish.
I’ve found that at this stage of the game, one conversation pointing you in the right direction can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars and often generate even more.
Whatever method fits best with your time, budget, and connections, JUST DO IT! Your investment will take you further, faster than you ever thought possible – assuming you implement.
It takes a village to scale up a business.
Make the paradigm-shift with me and get out of your own way. What got you here is great. Well done! But it won’t get you there. And “there” is where we both know you’re meant to be.
Find a mentor. Join a team. Gather traveling companions to cheer you on for your next big step. Then get stepping.
Because as a former overworked freelance coach, I can testify that business isn’t a solo act, it takes an all-star cast. And when that “clicks” for you like it did for me, the golden handcuffs will fall off and you’ll be free to succeed in bigger ways than you can imagine.
If you’re ready to scale up your impact and income with a team of experienced entrepreneurs that are dedicated to the same thing, then I invite you apply for one of the next cohort of the Council of Visionary Business Builders. The Council is a curated community of experienced service entrepreneurs (coaches, consultants, creative professionals, speakers and influencers) that are equally committed to…
- Reaching and impacting more people with their BIG ideas…
- Generating more income in a way that feels good to them…
- And creating a business that will become their legacy…
I invite you to APPLY for next Council cohort if you’re a committed entrepreneur that has a strong desire to bring forth your very best while being held to a higher standard.
Live bravely,
Michael
ONLY 3 SPOTS LEFT!
Apply now for to be part of the 2018 cohort of Visionary Business Business Builders – The preeminent accelerator for scaling up you Impact, Influence and Income!
