Even though the door to the garden was open, both my little bandits were still standing in the kitchen furiously discussing something between themselves in hushed voices.
“Why don’t you go out to play?” I asked.
“But mum! There is a GIANT ladybird blocking the door!”
Now if, you are a parent, you’ll know, that scenes like that are not uncommon. Kids see the world completely differently from us and all we can do is to humbly accept both the gift of joy and reminder of how blind and structured we become in our adult lives. Needless to say, I slayed* the giant ladybird and my little pirates went out to play in the garden. *I mean, delicately removed said ladybird from the doorstep.
But this scene stood vividly in front of my eyes today when I started to write article about success. It seems funny to think something so innocent, inconsequential and irrelevant as a ladybird – even seemingly giant one – could block us from achieving success. And yet I see it happen everyday, I hear it from my clients and I recognize it in myself too – far to often.
At my last presentation I talked (a lot, as usual) about what success really means and how to build a decent business that works perfectly for you and your life goals. (If you haven’t seen it yet, here is an accompanying download Get-More-Clients2015.)
But before I can tell you how to get more clients and automate and sync and simplify your business, so it can be run from anywhere, while you are enjoying your perfect life – I have to say that sadly, no growth hacking technique will ever work unless the giant ladybirds standing in your way are slayed first.
Success mindset isn’t tangible, but it’s fundamental.
Success mindset isn’t a position on a business plan. You can’t take it to the bank. It defies reason and logic – how many times you knew you must do something, yet you didn’t? How many times have people told you something won’t work – and yet you made it work?
Imagine a boxer just about to go out on the ring. His trainer yells at him: You are a total failure! You have lost more fights than you have won in your career. You are an absolute clusterfuck excuse of a human being and you will never amount to anything. You might just as well give up now, because no one thinks you will win anyway. Cut your losses and go home, while you still have it! You can’t balance your check account, never mind throwing a good punch!
Do you think this boxer can win the fight?
His training didn’t change. His physical condition didn’t change. Nothing changed apart from the mindset. And yet, I somehow doubt, that he could possibly win that fight after the pep talk from hell.
Do you give yourself pep talks from hell? Stop it. Stop being ridiculously hard to yourself.
Why do you think professional athletes have coaches?
Because doing it alone is hard, that’s why.
Because there are days when we think, we are absolute clusterfuck of human beings – no, it wasn’t just you. And on the days like that – you absolutely have to have someone in our corner, someone to talk to, someone to remind you that, yes, life and business and YOU are epic and awesome even though just maybe, you aren’t, at this exact moment, happy as an unicorn prancing around all day pooping rainbows (yes, I watch too many children cartoons.)
Motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.
This is one of my favorite quotes, and it sums up perfectly why we all need coaching.
Because starting a business is hard.
Because growing a business is hard.
Because days turns into weeks and months into years before you notice.
Because to succeed you don’t have to win every time – but you need to fail quickly and pick yourself up fast.
Because if you stop at the door of success and see the giant ladybird blocking your path – the coach, the mentor, your mastermind group – they will tell you, what you are not seeing.
- That you don’t need an expensive website to start a business.
- That you don’t need a gazillion likes on your Facebook page to make money.
- That being on Social Media doesn’t have to take all day.
- That you can be paid before you start the work, so you don’t have to waste time raising invoice and than chasing payments.
- That you are an expert already (yes, you!)
Ok, before you start saying “but:
- I don’t need to pay for a coach!
- I can figure this stuff on my own!
- I can read free ebook and make gazzilion dollars tomorrow all by myself!
So before you say all that – please do a quick test:
3 seconds Giant Ladybird Test:
Have you ever noticed yourself saying or thinking or feeling:
I just don’t have time for marketing
I am not good at selling
I couldn’t possibly charge more – I’m not an expert yet
If you you think those statements are true – than you just discovered your own giant ladybirds – the problem, the excuse that seems like a massive, absolutely unpassable obstacle.
But hey, we are all adults here.
In your own home you probably pass the door without even noticing that tiny, teeny ladybird.
I know I used a lot of metaphors today – but please let this sink in – would you let yourself be stopped at the door by a ladybird?
I don’t think so.
Yet, when we begun on our entrepreneurial journey – I say we, because I’m as guilty of it as anyone – we often stop before we even start. We see the door wide open, but we almost never cross it.
- £12k+ client in a first month of a business – after just 30 min conversation?
- Thriving international business while working less than 20 hours a week?
- Clients booking while still being on a consult call with you?
Does it feel possible? Does it feel like a hype, an internet myth? I’ve done all that, so yes, it is possible.
Does it sound like something so far outside your own reality, you can’t even seriously consider actually achieving it?
I can tell you that it is possible – but you talk yourself out of your goals every single day, bit by bit you are playing it safe – and you wait and wait and try to figure it all by yourself – standing there at the door of outrageous success, blocked by a ladybird.
MY LADYBIRD STORY
I have done all the above – and than stopped, blocked by an absolutely giant ladybird – totally true story!
I’m branding and marketing and fricking productivity expert (I had to become an expert in productivity, I have 2 kids and a business to run as well as feed my addiction to Discworld novels), but it is so much easier to do things for clients, than for myself. So I stopped, absolutely paralyzed by a notion of going from 1 on 1 clients to a group program.
I give a lot of attention, I over deliver big time and all that aside, I thought I can’t possibly do it, because group program means swanky videos – and I was stuck in editing hell. Until I got myself a coach that called bullshit on it and told me to first, run a program live, so I feel more comfortable with it – I could add and shape content to the needs of participants and than send the recordings to a professional video editor and stop doing all that stuff myself. HA. Pretty obvious. Totally didn’t see it.
This week I talked with a client, who wanted to grow her business – she was successful, but was already overwhelmed and just couldn’t imagine how to manage the growth and how to become recognized for an expert she was. Less then 48 hours from our consultation she felt so fired up, she:
- overhauled her website branding, so it could showcase her expert status as a published author and speaker more
- raised her prices (She was charging 10% of her competitor rate for workshops. Yes. Really. )
- and added media inquiries page (she was frequently featured in tv breakfast programs, but told no one about it – another ladybird slayed!)
Could she have done it on her own? Absolutely.
The crux of the matter is that she didn’t. Just as I didn’t see the oh so obvious solution to my own biz.
I’m really, really good at all this business growth hacking shiz – but not because I’m perfect.
I rock productivity, because I have to.
I use systems, because they give my evenings back.
I run my business from the smartphone and a laptop – because I don’t need an expensive office to impress clients.
I teach people how to work less (and still make more money), because that thing outside your work – you know, actual life? Is absolutely worth living and you should visit more often.
Some experts say to only share the stories from the position of power – you know, if I’m an expert shouldn’t I figure out my own shiz? But by showing you that no one is perfect – I certainly am not – I hopefully will inspire you to taking that advice to heart and getting outside help in slaying ladybirds.
Sometimes we need this outside perspective, to see things for what they really are.
Because the truth about ladybirds – even giant ones – is that they aren’t really a villain. They are harmless. We just need someone to remind us of that very fact.
Are you tired of doing things all day long but not getting anywhere?
Are you feeling stuck, undercharging and overwhelmed?
How about we have a proper adult conversation about your business and see what’s blocking you – trust me, after all, I’m a professional giant ladybird slayer!
I talk a lot – but I’m here to listen. Take a first step right now and pick your date and time here.
(Yes, you read this right. My group program totally is coming.
It will be way less than my private coaching – because believe me I know how agonizingly difficult it is to invest in coaching, when you are just so close to making it a decent biz, but still short on actual money and oscillating daily from I can totally do this to Shit, I can’t. It will never work. Sign up here for my Business Attitude Masterclass if you haven’t already and I’ll let you know when it opens up.)