Breakdown vs Breakthrough
Maintaining Your Business + Your Sanity
Over the past year-and-a-bit, have you felt like you’re going a little “mad” or that like sh!@ is falling down all around you?
Have you felt like you’re on the verge of breakdown vs breakthrough?
It’s going around, right?!
Inspired by many conversations with friends, family, clients and colleagues, I wanted to share a few breakthroughs of my own, including:
- Teetering Between Breakdown vs Breakthrough
- How Some Have Handled This Better Than Others
- The Difference Between Those Who Breakdown vs Breakthrough
- Taking Radical Responsibility
- Regaining Control Of What You Can For The Sake Of Your Sanity
Teetering Between Breakdown + Breakthrough
We can all acknowledge that a lot of us are existing in this weird holding pattern. Just sitting back, waiting ‘things to go back to normal’. It’s clear that there’s no “going back”, so where to from here?
Let’s start with recognising why so many people are tip toeing the thin line between breaking down and breaking through. What’s the underlying cause of the discomfort, the stuckness and all of this collective fear and frustration.
It’s “Uncertainty”.
It’s this Uncertainty that’s caused a lot of thumb-twiddling – A lot of just ‘waiting around’ for things to change so we can get back to running our lives and our businesses.
Uncertainty around money, our careers, the viability of our businesses, the economic and mental health of our communities…
It’s the not-knowing that’s causes the most angst and the most damage to our confidence. Its erodes at our faith and belief.
How Some Businesses Have Handled This Better Than Others
For as many businesses I’ve witnessed suffering, I’ve seen equally as many thriving. – Karen Ahl
It almost doesn’t make sense on the surface. The most hard working, salt-of-the-earth business owners struggling, just keeping their head above water while others have handled this most recent turn of events with relative ease and financial success.
The thing to remember is… this ALWAYS happens.
Whether is be major lockdowns, ‘your typical’ economic downturn, or just seasonal changes in and industry, there are always folk who struggle and those who thrive, seemingly beyond all odds and despite the circumstances.
Here’s the secret! Those who are breaking through all have something in common.
They are too stubborn to admit and accept defeat, so instead, they’ve liberated themselves by taking Radical Responsibility for their own experience!
Taking Radical Responsibility
Question…
“Why is it easier to point the finger and blame someone else when things go bad, but when things are going well, we tend to take most of the credit?”
It’s totally easier to blame other, particularly with what’s going on in the world right now.
But think about this… isn’t this a little unfair?
The concept of Radical Responsibility or Radical Ownership has been one of the most confronting yet liberating and freeing breakthroughs I’ve ever had. It’s what I’ve returned to, time after time, as I’ve felt my fingers starting to slip off the steering wheel.
I remembers, I can take back control by; accepting the role I have played up until now (the good, the bad and the ugly), and that I can now do something different to effect the outcome. This allows me to re-grip the wheel and course correct.
Those who take radical responsibility tend to focus on making their own opportunities vs waiting for someone else to come along and do it.
Regaining Control on What You Can – For the Sake Of Your Sanity
In business, there are few things you can totally control. But there is one thing you can control, and what stands to make the BIGGEST impact in your business.
Your Marketing!
Taking responsibility and ownership of your marketing is the key to turning much of this uncertainty around.
Humanity has never lived in a more connected time. We literally, have the world’s most amazing advertising tools at our fingertips. We don’t have to door knock, we don’t need to pay for expensive infomercials, heck we don’t even need to take out full $24,000AUD page advertisements in the YellowPages!
There are LITERALLY no more excuses not to get your business out there EXCEPT for your own, self-imposed uncertainty, fear and lack of confidence.
Do you agree?
- The success of your business relies on your willingness to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get there!
- That something you can control is how often and in what ways you engage with your audience!
- That all the tools, training and resources you need are available to you, most of which are FREE or low cost!
You’ve got this!
Put your hands back on the steering wheel like the stubborn, driven and eager-to-succeed business owner you are!
Inspired Marketing – It’s Time To Take Action
Be prepared to do whatever it takes to create your own opportunities. By doing so, you’ll give yourself that confidence boost that you do in-fact have some control over your own circumstances.
- Post Most On Social Media | Love it or hate it… Social Media offers you FREE access to 1000s of people, even if you’re a locally-based business. Promoting your offerings and how you serve your customers through your own business page, via Facebook community pages and groups is a simple strategy to letting people know your open and how you can help them.
- Create a Facebook Group | People LOVE groups on Facebook. This is why I started Trusty Tradies early 2020. Groups allow you to engage with your audience on a deeper level than business pages and even your own personal profile ever could. Think about your ideal customer and create a group that ties into your expertise that they’d be interested in.
- Email Marketing | By far, the most under utilised yet MOST effective marketing strategy. This has been one of my most successful marketing strategies to date. The key is consistency, frequency and adding value by being of service to your audience.
- Offer Pre-Payments | For those businesses that have had to close due to lockdowns. Keep your cashflow going by offering pre-paid appointments. Encourage clients to pay for 3 or 4 appointments ahead of schedule for a small discount or free gift. Some may even prepay because they love your service and want to support you! You just need to ask!
- Package It | Package together 2 or more of your offerings to increase your average sale.
- Memberships | With a little creativity, you can establish a monthly membership. Whether you are a pest controller, a massage therapist or a hairdresser, memberships offers a regular recurring income and gives your customers a way to support you.
- CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE | Join my mailing list for more FREE marketing inspo and goodness. The Marketable is my (almost) weekly dose of marketing, management and motivation.
So far, ALL of these ideas are FREE! If you’re willing to put aside your ‘lack of IT knowledge’ and discomfort, applying one or more of these ideas to your business can help you regain control.
Here’s even MORE “no excuse” resources to help you build momentum. Each with practical ideas and advice on how to take Radical Responsibility and Inspired Marketing Actions to get you to where you want to go!
Getting Your Face Out ‘There’ – A Guide to Personal Branding
Get Super Productive by Eating Frogs
Webinar Replay | How To Encourage + Leverage Customer Reviews
Become An Email Marketing Super Hero – How to Start Building Your Database
Over To You!
It’s been a difficult run. Acknowledge that, be kind to yourself and those around you. Now, take Radical Responsibility to do everything you can to take back control of your experience through your marketing.
By accepting your own ability to influence the situation and move towards breaking through vs breaking down will have you creating your own opportunities. You’ll feel the uncertainty start to fade and your confidence and clarity start to take over.
For more awesome resources, CLICK HERE to subscribe to our weeklyish newsletter, The Marketable.
If you’re looking for more personalised guidance and coaching, contact me here. I personally offer FREE brainstorming sessions and our team can assist you in getting your email marketing and Facebook campaigns set-up, including coaching you on how to manage these platforms yourself moving forward.
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