So tell me… What do you believe is getting in your way from making a successful living for yourself? After all, you started your business to pursue a passion. And profit, as they say, follows passion.
Although I believe wholeheartedly that is true, passion is only part of the equation.
For your passion to meet you at the bank, there are three mind traps that anyone in business must address.
MIND TRAP #1: “I have nothing of value to sell except my time.”
It’s likely you started your business serving others in some fashion. Your service-based business has fed you well, but now you are realizing that you are trading your most precious commodity (your time) for dollars.
You are caught in what is called the time/money trap – and that means that you only earn money when you are performing paid work. For example, a coaching session with a client earns you income only while you’re physically coaching with them (via telephone and/or in person.)
When you switch your coaching session to incorporate a group dynamic of one to many, you may earn more dollars per hour, but you are still trading your time for dollars. How do you break the cycle?
You need Digital Gold.
Digital Gold is simply your brilliance (what you know) organized, packaged and made ready to generate leads and profit online. Digital Gold is key to creating passive income and streaming leads into your list.
You can create and sell anything from PDF downloads, ecourses, ebooks, DVDs, or other electronic products. Leverage affiliate relationships and grow your business to a whole new level as they share with their tribes your treasure chest of knowledge, skills, expertise and experience.
Think for a moment – what types of products could you create that would earn you a living even while you play at the park with your kids? What is it that you’ve got that others might want to learn how to do or create as well?
What you know matters, and especially if it can help others to save time, money and effort. So, start there.
MIND TRAP #2: The market is saturated with experts that do the same thing I do.
This may sound a little harsh, but stop participating in that limiting belief right now! Your unique voice, perspective, and experience has its own audience too. Add extra insurance for your success and establish a niche (i.e. the gluten-free health coach) and then position yourself as the one to go to in your specialty area.
You have walked a path in life that is all your own. Each step that you took, every decision that you made, created the beautiful, unique human being that is you.
And the sooner you embrace your one-of-a-kind offering, the sooner you will create an incredible entity that is primed to attract the ideal clients for you.
HINT: If you’ve signed up for a few dozen opt-ins over the last several months, you might feel inundated with content that makes you feel like a little boat in a big ocean.
It’s ok to unsubscribe and spend your time focusing on your own efforts, internally, without all the noise distracting you. In fact, just do it right now – stop being a spectator and start playing the game. There is plenty of room for everyone.
MIND TRAP #3: Technology is Hard (or fill in your 4-letter word)
Technology has come a long way in the last 10 years. Even Facebook changes algorithms every few months. But here’s the good news; you definitely don’t need to be a technical maverick anymore. In the tech world, your ability to use a company’s software is at the top of developer’s list. They want to make things easy for you.
Most programs – including graphic design, social media management, and website platforms – have become streamlined to accommodate the average user. And for everything else, there’s an app for that. Apps are like micro programs and offer simple and fast ways to get things done without all the bells and whistles.
The truth is that within minutes you can be well on your way to leveraging your online presence to work for you. Don’t just believe me, try it yourself. Most people spend more time worrying about technology than actually seeing if what they believe about technology is true.
HINT: Don’t know where to begin? Join groups on Facebook or LinkedIn that give you a network of people you can ask questions to. They also know the best programs free programs for beginners to try. A few of my favorites are WordPress, LeadPages, MailChimp and Go-To-Webinar – pretty much all I need to make my difference in the world!
If you catch yourself headed towards one of the above mind traps, remember, you are not alone. Even the best of us get hooked into this kind of thinking every once in awhile. You do not have to feel limited by your misconceptions as long as you keep looking forward!
