Like many heart-based entrepreneurs, Leesa had a million ideas to monetize her mission. But somehow, she always ended up feeling stuck, broke and invisible to her ideal clients. She’d been hearing for awhile that she could be playing bigger, but instead of rising up, Leesa just felt more stuck than ever.
When Leesa joined Amplify Your Authority Inner Circle, she shared with me that she knew she “should” have a podcast of her own. Or at least write a book. Oh, and yes, she realized she could be out there speaking to audiences more often.
But…
Leesa just couldn’t get past her fears.
Deep down inside Leesa was afraid of playing bigger and being “found out.” A common mindset block amongst expert-based entrepreneurs is Imposter Syndrome: a fear that others will think you don’t know what you are doing. When an emerging expert has Imposter Syndrome, they will find every reason to stay safe inside their cloak of invisibility. The inherent problem with being invisible — its hard to get clients when people can’t find you.
I suggested that Leesa take on a bold goal that would AMPLIFY her focus and momentum.
She resisted.
That’s when Leesa realized that she was playing it safe.
Stuck in a recurring thought pattern, Leesa had some hidden fears (and a few limiting beliefs) that influenced her decisions to stay small. So instead of attracting more clients and seeing her bottom line grow, she made choices to reinforce that feeling of safety.
- When a business growth strategy made her uncomfortable, she would reject it (or put off doing it.)
- If her coach (that was me) suggested we work on getting more speaking gigs booked, she’s get really busy on some other low-impact tasks.
- Even when she had a complete sales process mapped out, Leesa lost her nerve and became paralyzed. Then, she began to question if she could really be successful.
In her mind, she had a few really good reasons why having a bigger business just wouldn’t be her thing. But the truth was she was stuck in her comfort zone – and it was keeping her much smaller than she ever dreamed would happen. Leesa needed to “bold up” and go for something much bigger; she just didn’t realize what was really in the way!
Most entrepreneurs who find themselves unable to make enough money with their passion are typically stuck because they are solving the wrong problem.
Instead of taking safe little steps forward, they need to change the game dramatically and take some big leaps.
Sound familiar? Here are three ways you can get out of that passionate but poor trap too:
Set Bold Goals
When a business owner thinks big and stretches themselves to achieve scary, big goals, something else happens. Instead of getting stuck in the “how” they tend to catapult into new levels of success. When goals are too small, people usually need to figure out “how” they will pull it off. In order to play a bigger game and accomplish success at new levels, you have to be willing to take some risks. That means tackling projects that you have NO IDEA how to really do!
Often this is when fear, self-doubt and overwhelm kicks in and the business owner starts to procrastinate or focus on “safer” goals. As my clients work through the 7 step framework I teach in Amplify Your Authority Inner Circle, they often see very quickly where they hold themselves back.
Whether its booking yourself to speak on a really big stage, writing a book or raising your rates, having the courage to push your boundaries can be exactly what’s needed to get out of limbo and scale to new heights.
Invest in Growth
A major mindset shift for any small business owner is to replace spending with investing. It’s a subtle shift in thinking but has significant growth effects on your bottom line and progress to your goals. Often entrepreneurs get bogged down in “can I afford it” logic when it comes to investing in growth strategies. When you focus on what you can afford (aka what’s in your bank account) you will always talk yourself out of taking the risk.
For instance, when it comes time to hire that perfect team member that can help you accomplish more, the logic mind can start to panic, wondering how on earth you will be able to pay their salary. But with an investment mindset, the business owner recognizes the investment in future success. By taking the risk and committing now to a bit of a stretch in the finances, you can actually 10x your results by getting more done. Whether its hiring a mentor or committing to investing in a new marketing effort, when you shift out of “can I afford it” to “what am I willing to invest in to get better results”, this a GAME CHANGER!
Leverage
When Ellen asked me to help her shatter her earning ceiling (she was stuck at $200,000 a year in earnings), the first thing we did was evaluate her leverage strategies. Leverage is when you are able to expand your time, money and knowledge exponentially. Ellen had a service-based business where she only made money if she sold an hour of her time. As you can probably imagine, once her time was booked up, so was her bandwidth for growing revenue.
In cases like this, leverage is the key to increasing earnings while continuing to grow your ability to serve more clients. I mapped out a “double your income” strategy for Ellen that included introducing a group offering as well as hiring a marketing assistant. Within a year, Ellen had almost tripled her revenue.
Leverage can feel like a bold move for some entrepreneurs, but it’s essential if the business owner wants to play a bigger game. There are plenty of ways to tap into more leverage – and essential to find a strategy that is aligned with your unique talents.
Playing a bigger game is not for everyone. You have to have a deep, intrinsic drive to make more of a difference while doing things that can feel outside of your comfort zone. But the end result is knowing that you conquered your own fears while courageously pursuing your goals.
And if you want to get your copy of my 7 step plan, download it here.
