I really enjoy strategising and planning for my business. There is nothing like a blank page ready to be filled with possibilities, making way for the opportunities that will materialise as it unfolds. It’s exciting. It energises me.

Looking back just on this past month of business, I realised it has been off to a cracking start.

Month in Review

While you’re checking out the fun and sentimental on Facebook (Hehe, I’ve seen you!) I’m busy over here reviewing this past month in business and what has been accomplished.

• A full book of coaching clients
• 2 invitations to appear on podcast shows
• 1 video interview request for a big community blog for female entrepreneurs
• 2 in-person workshop bookings to train small groups of creative business owners in London
• 1 request to interview me about my business story for a book aimed at budding, women entrepreneurs
• Featured in this huge resource blog on business building
• And listed as a top 25 international marketing blog to watch on UpCity

If you’re thinking ‘it must have taken a lot of work to find those opportunities’ you would be wrong.

And right.

Wrong because…

I didn’t have to hustle for any of them. I’m not paying a PR person or sales assistant to make approaches on my behalf.

Most of my new clients came via one email I sent to my subscribers letting them know that I was opening up new coaching spots.

Everything else came my way uninvited and gratefully received.

Right because…

It’s taken time and consistent effort. Focussing on specific areas of my business. Particularly marketing because I’ve learnt (the hard way) that if people don’t know a product or service exists, it doesn’t matter HOW great it is, it just won’t sell.

More ease and less hustle is something we all aspire to for ourselves and by steadily including certain business activities, it has gotten me to place where there is less struggle.

And, that makes me happier, more relaxed, less stressed. More equipped to take on projects that light me up, and say ‘thanks, but no’ to the ones that don’t.

I’m not telling you this to brag, but to inspire because similar opportunities are there for YOU too if you focus on the right activities.

In order to get myself here, I have consistently practised the five actions below. They are non-negotiable, and in return, the key to my success so far.

Investing in business training

From the moment I went self employed, I knew I had to learn more about business.

I had the skill and experience to offer clients, but like most of us, not ‘running a business’ skills.

I attended PR workshops, countless business-building online training courses (some I haven’t completed – like most of us I’m not immune to that!), and more recently, I’ve been working with private coaches to help me take my business up a gear.

Sometimes it’s been a huge stretch financially and timewise. The cost and time commitment made me twitchy to the point where it kept me up at night. And yet the outcomes have been clear. I knew to achieve what I want for myself and business, it was worth the risk.

It’s the times when I’ve made the largest investment that it’s made the biggest impact. When there’s more at stake, the harder I work to make my investment back.

And I’ve never regretted it.

It’s enabled me to leap not only further but quicker in my business. Training has helped me achieve success I could only imagine when I was starting out, and create the life I hoped for back then.

It’s also given me broader range of knowledge and business maturity that I can pass on to my clients so that they receive a richer experience to apply in their own business.

Generous with time and knowledge

Part of my marketing strategy has always been to share my knowledge on using the internet for business growth for free and without obligation. I do this via my blog, weekly email tips, various downloadable guides, and online training sessions.

I do this because I love enabling small businesses to take action and responsibility for their own marketing. It’s at the heart of what I do – whether you work with me or access my free resources.

And, I also know that giving away free information is one of the most powerful marketing strategies a bootstrapping business can employ for building a solid reputation that lasts longer.

No paid advertising that disappears when you stop paying, along with your visibility.

Instead, my approach builds on itself so that loyal followers and clients champion you – effectively doing your marketing for you.

Paying you back tenfold.

I try to lead by example and I’m a walking, talking case study that this strategy works!

Be there everyday

There have been days when I’ve wanted to jack it all in. Too exhausted to continue. Tired of the 10 hour days and 7 day weeks.

I’ve screamed, cried, screwed up, wanted to hide under my duvet more times than I care to remember. Told myself I’m not good enough, that I have nothing to offer, that it’s all been done before – by someone bigger and better – so what contribution could I possibly make anyway?

And, then I shake myself down, get over myself, face my fears and keep on moving ahead, step by step.

Even when I got sick for a large chunk of last year and could only manage 2 or 3 hours of work a day, I maintained a ‘business as usual’ outward appearance as best I could.

I was uncompromising in the work I did with my clients. They are my priority and that didn’t change. But, I also continued publishing my blog every week, sending weekly tips to my subscribers, responding to the important emails, posting and interacting on social media.

(As an aside, this time proved to me that I didn’t need to work crazy hours and weekends to run my business. I now work 25 hour weeks, and weekends are reserved for funtimes).

It was tough. It wasn’t my best work but I kept showing up because that was the commitment I had made to my community.

It’s that reliability that pays off. You’re there rain or shine, every time you say you’ll be there.

That in itself sets you apart from at least 10 of your competitors. Likely more!

Even when in the beginning, NO ONE else shows up to your online event, or you just have a handful of subscribers to your email list.

You have to start somewhere, and as inviting it is at that point to give up, without this commitment, building trust with your prospects, clients, and finding your champions will be far harder.

Just imagine if your favourite local coffee shop didn’t open one day because the owner didn’t fancy it. What would you think? Probably that it was unprofessional, unreliable, unfair and lots of other ‘uns’.

And if they kept shutting the doors on a whim, over time the customers would stop showing up too. They’d tell their friends and they’d all go elsewhere to grab their daily cup of cha.

Bye-bye coffee shop.

Marketing, marketing, marketing

I mentioned earlier in the post that if no one knows your product or service exists, no one will buy it. It doesn’t matter how amazing it is.

It’s worth me mentioning it again because it’s THAT important.

I’ve met many talented business owners with amazing skills and knowledge struggle because they haven’t got the right marketing foundations in place.

Often they flounder around thinking what they’re doing marketing-wise will reap rewards but usually this isn’t the case.

Truth time…marketing needs serious attention if you want to achieve success. It’s not a must-get-to-that-sometime, when-you-feel-like-it kinda project. It’s an on-going essential part of business building.

Marketing my business has always been a non-negotiable. It gets scheduled and done. I view it as important as my client meetings. I don’t flake off on my clients and I treat my marketing the same.

Over time it’s meant that I’ve built a solid reputation; a trail of content that can direct thousands of people to my website through Google or social media mentions every week; daily social media recommendations from fans (thank you!); features on third party websites and invitations like those listed above that help me reach other communities interested in what I have to offer.

And, contrary to popular belief, marketing this way doesn’t have to be a time-sucking bore.

What’s needed is a simple plan, knowing what tasks to pay attention to, understanding what can be outsourced to team members (and what absolutely shouldn’t be), and some simple time-saving techniques.

Marketing this way can be cost effective, time effective and make a big difference to your bottom line.

Quickly.

I wasn’t born with marketing skills, I had to learn them. And, it’s these skills that has made the biggest difference when it comes to people approaching me for work – either as a client or in a joint venture.

By starting now, you can get there sooner. Imagine where you could be in 6 or 12 months time if you paid some attention to your marketing systems?

Mixing with smart, go-getting peers

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Jim Rohn

Have you ever found yourself in a dilemma that’s kept you indecisive for days, weeks – maybe months? Then, when you voice your thoughts to someone else the solution suddenly becomes clear as day?

Maybe it’s simply the act of saying it out loud that creates the shift in thinking, or it’s a word, question or viewpoint your companion shares that changes everything.

Being the only decision maker in your own business can be lonely. Putting yourself out there everyday can be scary sh*t. You can tie yourself in knots over the simplest things keeping you stuck. Having no one to bounce ideas around with, or who can offer an alternative perspective will keep your business small.

That’s no fun at all.

Successful people are not afraid to ask for help or ask questions. They have a group of trusted confidants to share ideas with, can go to when they need support, advice, a little cheerleading and a nudge of accountability to them keep striving forward.

Surrounding myself with go-getters on a similar path as me, who understand the good and bad of running a micro business like mine, has been invaluable.

I know I can’t do everything alone. Having like-minded peers and friends with different experiences, talents and skills can make the difference between a huge success and an almighty flop.

I’ve mixed in Facebook groups, online forums, in-person groups, structured masterminds, and been magnetically drawn to people with similar interests – many of whom have become my most trusted friends and allies.

They’ve seen me when I’ve been the most lost and stuck, been there to champion me and celebrate the best times with me, too.

Is hanging in Facebook groups and the like really a practice? Sure! Asking for help is not always easy – especially when, as a business owner, you’re supposed to have ALL the answers. By stretching that vulnerability muscle a little each day it gets easier, and stronger bonds are formed that can help you make huge leaps in your business.

This peer support is something I’m thrilled to offer exclusively to my clients through my Business Brilliance members forum and monthly training calls.

Business As Usual

Business has not always been easy, but it’s definitely been worth it.

With a few systems in place, a solid marketing plan and these vital activities, my business has been moving forward on a steady basis.

And you?

How have you been getting on this month? Share some of your biggest successes OR what the most important system you have in place to ensure success. Get sharing, learning and inspiring in the comments below.