When I moved to the east coast to start a new life and re-launch my coaching and speaking business, I really did believe it would be an easy thing to do. I had faith in myself and in my abilities. What I didn’t realize what just how much things had changed in business when it came to marketing, in particular.
How many of you have ever felt this way? It may not relate to the 5-year ‘hiatus’ that I took – but it is certainly just as relevant for those of you who take a long break over the Christmas season or, better yet, right now through the summer months when you really slow down and pretty much become ‘invisible’ to the market.
ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THAT IS ……….IT DOESN’T WORK! WE ALL MUST MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT AND STEADY PRESENCE OUT IN THE MARKET TO ACHIEVE THE RESULTS WE WANT TO HAVE IN OUR BUSINESS!
Once I assessed just where the gaps were with respect to getting back in the game, I took immediate action. And that is how and when things started to change for me. That realization did not come to me without any sense of fear or concern. Listen – here I was – now age 57 – realizing that there were no ‘ideal jobs’ out there in the market for me (I do believe age discrimination is very much alive and well!). I realized that I needed to make a ton of money to make up for all the losses of the previous years (with the separation, divorce, relocation, etc. etc.). Oh yes – I experienced fear alright! And I worked through that anyway!
That’s what I want to share with you in this article – the need to identify your fears and work through them to get where you want to go and grow.
- RECOGNIZE THE GAPS.
When I did an assessment on what was working and what was not working, I quickly realized that I did not know how to market my services in the new economy. That was the biggest ah-ha for me! I needed to take action around that. I did my homework and made the decision to attend a Marketing Conference (in the coaching/speaking industry) to learn what I needed to know so I could get out there in a big way. I registered for the event, travelled to Miami, was actively engaged in the intense 3-day event and then I……….
- MADE A MAJOR INVESTMENT.
At this Marketing event, there was a sales pitch made – offering further and future services, coaching and support to anyone in the audience who realized that they needed to learn more about the content that had been delivered. Well, the ‘offer’ took my breath away – literally. This was a new experience for me. I realized that others in the room had had exposure to this type of situation before – but not me. I thought I was going to pass out – the ‘investment’ for the services was (at that time, in my mind) HUGE! My first reaction was that ‘there was no way” …….No way I could afford it! No way I was going to spend that kind of money at this point/time in my life! No way I was going to commit to the travel and additional expenses involved with this offer. And so on and so on. But then……I realized……
- STATUS QUO WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE.
First of all, I knew that at this point, I could not grow my business by myself. I needed help. Status quo was definitely not acceptable. I also realized that the information that had been shared was EXACTLY what I needed right then and there. I had a ‘meeting’ with myself – and came to the conclusion that it was now or never. There was no going back. There was also no going forward without making this commitment to myself and to my business. I made a quick list of what I wanted and what was holding me back – and where/how this investment could make a big difference in my life. The future was now!
- I MADE A DECISION.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about myself, it is to make a decision and stick with it. There will always be fear in the life of an entrepreneur. It’s not going to go away. We must learn to recognize it – acknowledge it – deal with it – and step into it. There are tough decisions to make, each and every day. One thing I have learned is to MAKE the tough decisions and keep moving forward.
- CELEBRATE ALONG THE WAY.
I have worked very hard these past 5 years – since the first trip to Miami – and I was just there this past week for my high level master mind meeting with my coach. I stopped and acknowledged the 5-year journey – I listed the celebrations and achievements over that period of time – (I do this regularly anyway – but this list was at a higher level.)
THE LESSONS IN ALL OF THIS:
1) THERE WILL ALWAYS BE FEAR. As Susan Jeffers says so well in her famous book ‘Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway!” – that’s exactly what I did.
2) THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TOUGH DECISIONS TO MAKE. Do it! If you learn nothing else as an entrepreneur, learn to make decisions and move on.
3) IT TAKES MONEY TO MAKE MONEY. Shift your thinking from ‘I can’t afford that’ to ‘HOW can I afford that?” It will make a huge difference in the way you operate.
4) WORKING WITH A GREAT COACH IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO AND GROW. Enough said.
5) CELEBRATE! This ain’t no easy journey, LOL! If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, right? There is a very small percentage of entrepreneurs (especially women) who make in excess of 6-figures in a year. I consider myself a huge success. You can do this, too!
WHERE IS FEAR HOLDING YOU BACK?
Please share your thoughts!
