There is no shortage of resources available to tell you what to do in your business. From books to podcasts, webinars to influencers, everyone is telling you that they have THE way to land more high dollar clients or to set up a simple system to make millions while you sleep.
Who do you listen to? Who has the answers to YOUR business challenges?
Here are three questions to ask yourself:
First - What kind of business am I building? Truly.
You need to know yourself and the kind of business you want to build. Are you looking to take over the world or have a sustainable 15K a year side gig? Or, would you like to make 80K a year doing something you love with lots of flexibility? Maybe you are you looking to grow a business with staff, multiple locations, and the ability to sell the business in the future?
Each of these business types will demand something different from you, so know where you are aiming before you seek help. This will help you narrow down who has the specific insights you need.
Second - What do I need? Truly.
Within your current business, identify your greatest challenge. We all have multiple challenges at every stage of business. But, if you could pick one. The game-changer. What is it? Customers? Better systems? The ability to outsource? Your first sale? New referral sources? A better onboarding system? Confidence? More clarity to be able to decide the next step?
With this step, try to pick one. When changing things in our business, it is tempting to try to fix multiple things at once. This can lead to making a little progress on a lot of things, but no real progress on anything. Work on the challenges in a linear way, not layered, whenever possible.
Third - Who can help me with my specific need? Truly.
Now that you know where you are going and what you need, you can evaluate sources with greater ease. Maybe it is a book on time management tips, maybe it is a podcast on how to build an online course, maybe it is a coach to help you take a look at the overall business and give advice on which challenge to tackle first.
My greatest advice here is to try the free, or low-cost solution first. Is there a $25 book you can read before you buy a $3,000 course? The more you know about a subject the greater confidence you will have that the next spend is the right spend.
One last word of caution.
As you look for resources, remember that people selling to you will make what they are selling VERY appealing. Meaning, they will tell you that it is “easy” and it is “fast” to build a business. Some of their pitches may even make you re-evaluate your business model!
My friends, if what is being sold sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Refocus. Know where you want to go and go after it. It is hard work to be a business owner, especially at the start. Keep at it and success will come!
You got this!
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Amy is a small business coach with Amy Lynne Coaching. She loves to help solos, freelancers and small business owners reach their dreams. While located in the beautiful Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul, MN Amy works with people all over the world thanks to the magic of the internet.
Interested in learning more? Schedule a 30-minute call with Amy here!
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