This month, May 2015 is my 11th Biz Birthday! Woohoo. So I decided I would have a blog party to celebrate and invite some of my favourite biz buddies to share what they’ve learned from being in biz for many, many years. Today, I’ve got the lovely Nicola Humber of www.nicolahumber.com sharing the 5 valuable lessons she’s learned from being in business.
1) You don’t have to do it all on your own (and it’s MUCH easier when you don’t!)
When I started my hypnotherapy practice six years ago, I felt like it was MY baby. I couldn’t imagine involving anyone else in my business.
I guess I felt like I ‘should’ be able to do it all myself and that if I had to ask for help, it would be a sign of weakness. (And looking back I can’t quite believe that considering that my role was to help others and give them support!)
After a couple of years of struggling along on my own and not seeing the results I desired in my business, I finally saw that I needed help.
I realised that just because I was trained as a therapist and coach, I didn’t necessarily have the skills needed to run a successful business.
I also missed the sense of connection and community I’d had when I worked in the corporate world.
So gradually I started to seek out and accept support in many different ways.
I worked with coaches and mentors.
I educated myself with online courses and programs.
I started to network and create new connections, both online and offline.
I attended events, seminars and conferences.
I joined both formal and informal masterminds.
And all of this support has helped me to grow my business in the most beautiful way.
I certainly wouldn’t have shifted into working as a Holistic Money Coach without help from my coach and mastermind buddies. I’m sure it would still be an idea floating around in my head.
Whatever stage you’re at in your business right now, remember you don’t have to do it alone.
When you open up to receive support, all sorts of opportunities and possibilities will flow your way.
2) Value what you have to offer
So many women I meet through my money coaching work under-value what they have to offer.
For many of them, what they do comes so easily that can’t believe it has much value to others.
I get this completely. When I first started my business I couldn’t believe that someone would be willing to pay much to sit in a room with me talking.
(Seriously, that’s how I saw what I had to offer!)
I charged the lowest rate possible and very often offered discounts to potential clients before they even had a chance to question my prices.
It’s only when I started to focus on the results my clients achieved from working with me that I began to see the value in what I had to offer. And even then, often I couldn’t quite believe that the results they’d achieved were down to working with me.
I obviously had some serious inner work to do (see lesson number 3)!
Over the years I’ve seen that what often comes very easily to me can be transformational to others.
The knowledge I assumed was obvious can be a revelation to others.
This is the case for many of the women I work with. I invite them to see the true value in what they have to offer.
And I invite you to do the same now. Rather than focusing purely on your skills and knowledge, think about all the different ways your products or services positively impact your clients and their lives. Really go to town and write down all of the possible benefits of working with you.
Doing this exercise regularly will help you to be clear about the value of your offerings.
3) Don’t forget to look inwards
Even though the work I do with my clients has always been focused on their inner worlds – their thoughts, feelings and beliefs – I’ve often forgotten to look inwards myself.
At times when I’ve wanted to grow and develop my business, my first response has often been to focus outside.
I’ve looked for external fixes – upgrading my website, finding that ‘perfect’ sales funnel or the best customer relationship management system.
Sometimes this has been helpful, but the most profound shifts in my business have happened when I’ve looked inwards.
When I started exploring and working with my beliefs around money and success back in 2013, I doubled my income within a year.
I wasn’t doing anything different externally. I had the same systems, the same website. All that had changed was my inner world.
By tuning into my intuition and following my instinct, I moved the focus of my business from weight loss hypnotherapy to holistic money coaching. This has helped me to feel more joyful and aligned in my business, my income has increased by 80% and my list has grown fivefold.
As your business grows and develops, be mindful of what’s going on for you internally. Notice where you might be holding yourself back with limiting beliefs, pay attention to your inner guidance, tune in to your emotions.
4) Remember why you started in the first place
When I decided to leave my corporate career and retrain as a hypnotherapist back in 2009, I was crystal-clear about my reasons.
I wanted to have more freedom and flexibility than my 9-5 offered.
I wanted to do work that I loved.
I wanted to have more time for me.
This clarity helped me decide to make the leap in a completely new direction very easily.
But at times over the past 6 years, I’ve found myself out of alignment with my original desires.
I’ve found myself working more hours than I ever did in my 9-5.
I’ve found myself tied to my laptop, feeling stressed and burned-out.
I’ve found myself feeling guilty when I’ve taken time out for myself during the traditional working week.
I’ve found myself focusing on areas of business that don’t light me up, feeling drained and uninspired.
At these times, I’ve had to take a step back and ask myself, ‘Hang on Nicola, why did you start your own business in the first place?’
When I’ve reminded myself of my original intentions, I’ve been able to make changes and bring myself back on course.
So, never lose sight of the reasons why you want to be in business. Remind yourself of them now and ask yourself whether you are fulfilling them.
If the answer is ‘No’, what do you need to do in order to bring yourself back onto your path?
5) Appreciate how far you’ve come
This is SO important and something I encourage my clients to do regularly.
When you have your own business, it’s easy to get tied up with focusing in the future. You set goals, you think about what you want to achieve, where you want to be in your business.
And that’s all great. It’s important to have a clear focus and direction.
But remember to balance that out with taking a look back every now and again.
Whatever stage you’re at with your business, take a few moments now to consider how far you’ve come.
Think about what you’ve achieved and created over the past week, month, year.
Even if you’ve just started, you’ve made that courageous decision to do it.
Appreciate all of your successes and celebrate them. Make it a weekly ritual to do this.
I make time every Friday to reflect on the week and celebrate what I’ve achieved (big or small). I also do this at the end of each month and year.
And I’m often pleasantly surprised by how far I’ve come!
Nicola Humber is a Holistic Money Coach, helping women entrepreneurs to overcome any limiting beliefs or unconscious blocks, so they can receive the income they desire (and deserve!) Her mission is to show women how their inner world, their thoughts, feelings and beliefs, can have a huge impact on their financial situation. She is passionate about teaching others the inner game of money. Find Nicola at: www.nicolahumber.com
Connect with Nicola at:
Have you been in biz for 5+ years? Want to join the party? Can you get a blog post to me by 15th May? Contact me for full details and the “rules”.
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