People often ask me how I built my successful coaching business while working a full time job. In this article I will share four key secrets to building a successful business that is authentically yours.
Something that generates a great amount of curiosity is the fact that I built my coaching business to a relatively large level of success while working a day job.
People wonder how I did it so quickly and if there is a step-by-step roadmap that they can use. I'll share my four secrets to my success when launching or growing a business. They aren't complicated marketing formulas. In fact,
their sheer simplicity may shock you.
1.) Be willing to make a fool of yourself every day.
I remember riding the train from New Jersey to New York to my day job. I was journaling in a notebook and I thought,"Gosh, how am I going to do this?" I had bought into the mantra,"Build it and they will come," but when I first started my business, I was struggling to get clients.
And as I was writing in my notebook, this came to me:
"If I am willing to make a fool of myself every day, this is all going to work out."
If you are willing to be the change that you want to see in the world, you are going to look a little out of the ordinary. You're going to seem a little off-center. You may even be called crazy.
Think of all the people in the history of the world that have been seen as,"Oh my gosh, that person's a nut job," from Jesus Christ to Gandhi to Rosa Parks to historians to political figures.
The realization I had today was that I have a message and I am determined to share that message. So, I can't worry about what friends or family members think. I can't worry about failing in front of my colleagues. I needed to be willing to be the fool.
2.) You can't help or serve people without marketing.
People often ask me,"How do you stay motivated to market?"
This question scares me. If you have to motivate yourself to market your business, you may be in the wrong business.
I put both feet on the floor in the morning, and the first thing I think about is,"Who can I help? Who can I serve?" I actually say that to myself every morning."Who can I help? Who can I serve?" I know that I can't help or serve people without marketing, so doing what I love is paramount
Many people stay in businesses that they aren't passionate able because they've worked at them for years, or months, but it's really not their calling. They feel an uncomfortable commitment to follow through on it, because,"they started the business." It doesn't matter how much time you've put into something, you must be sure to do what you love.
3.) Time melts away when you are in a movement.
People always ask me,"How did you find the time to build your business?"
I was working a 50-60 hour weekday job in New York City while I built my business. Of course, I am no longer in that day job, but I did work that day job up until early 2009.
Time melts away when you are in a movement. Time will not melt away when you are working, but it will melt away if you are being the change that you want to see in the world.
Yes, marketing is important, but instead of thinking about it as solely marketing, focus on starting and perpetuating a movement.
I remember sitting at dinner one night and friend looked at me and said,"Gosh, you're working a lot," because I was working all day as well as building my business.
I looked at her and said,"I didn't notice." The truth of the matter is, I didn't notice. When you are in love with what you're doing and it is a movement, time melts away.
4.) Whatever you do, make sure it's 100% YOU!
There is no magic formula for success. Everyone is different and you need to make sure that the business you build is authentically yours.
Yes, you will need to learn strategies, techniques, and build strengths when marketing and growing your business. Some will work better than others for different people. The key is that you learn what works best for you and always infuse a bit of yourself in every strategy or tactic that you employ.
Get clear about the movement you want to start and the change you want to see in the world before you start marketing. After that, put yourself out there in a way that is extraordinary. If you really care about your movement and what you're doing, you will talk about it anywhere.
As you launch a new business or continue growing an existing business, keep my four secrets in mind. Like I mentioned before, there is no magic formula that will work for everyone. The vital piece is that you are focused on a mission that is important to you and promoting it with full force in the most authentic ways possible
