When you start a business, you have to learn so many new things. One of those is marketing, because of course you want to learn how to grow your business. Learning how to be effective at marketing your business can be overwhelming, to say the least. While deep diving into marketing with Google searches, mirroring what companies you admire do, and even courses are a great way to get your feet wet, for many business owners it becomes quicksand to their business growth.

These methods help you understand the basics and get your feet wet when it comes to marketing your business. Where things get sticky is when business owners search for a blueprint based on what people or selling has worked for them, or continue to apply the same strategy again, and again without any changes. 

Let’s take a look at some common marketing terms and how they may be holding you back as part of your overall marketing strategy.

Identifying your Ideal client. If I have seen one ideal client exercise I have seen a million, and I bet you have too! An ideal client is a person who has the problem you solve. Most of the exercises focus on filling in the details of what your ideal client likes to do, where they shop, and so on. But, they never explain why you need to know this information, which is the important part.  

The purpose of the ideal client exercise is to get more specific about who this person is so you can easily write content that speaks to this person’s pain points. 

Here’s how these exercises can work against you.

Holding on so tight to your ideal client profile that you turn away the people that you are attracting to your business. I’ve had clients who felt completely defeated because they weren’t signing clients and because the people that did want to work with them didn’t match their ideal client profile. Where you really learn about who your client is and how to understand their struggle with the problem that you solve through doing the work. When you hold on too tight to your idea of who you should help you aren’t allowing yourself or your business to grow. Most people change who their ideal client is and you are self-sabotaging your financial success because how to serve looks different than you thought. 

Niching in means getting specific about what you do and who you do it for. People want to invest in an expert at solving their problem and they want to know that you understand their struggle. If you wanted to convert your backyard into a garden that would feed your family, you could consult with your local nursery, but hiring someone who has this type of knowledge and has done this for their own family will make you feel confident that you are getting the right support in solving your problem. 

Here’s how niching in can work against you. 

In the example above, the nursery supplies people with the tools and information they need to garden, care for, and beautify their outdoor spaces. If you wanted to start a garden you could get the necessary items and information to do so. But, if you wanted to create a garden that produces enough food year-round to sustain your family the amount of knowledge you need is going to require a different level of support. This is why niching in on your expertise and the specific problem you solve will attract clients. Most people think of niching as who you serve, which can lead to getting stuck in your ideal client profile. Instead, think of it as getting specific about what problem you solve. Just like with ideal clients, your niche can change. Maybe you start out as a web designer for solo entrepreneurs, and niche in even more to websites, and sales pages for coaches. Focusing on how you can serve best, rather than who you want to serve will always create more sales. 

Visibility is the most misunderstood element of marketing. This is where most people put in all of their efforts because the idea is to play the numbers game. The thought is that the more eyes you get on your business the more sales you will have. It’s just not true. I have had clients who make 6-figures with a small following and clients who have over 200k followers have very little sales. 

First, you have to nail your messaging which includes niching and your ideal client. You have to be clear about the problem that you solve, who you solve it for, and why your work matters and you have to ask people to work with you. This is what marketing and sales is all about.  If 1 millon people see your content, but they don’t know why they should hire you because your message isn’t clear and you never ask for a sale, they won’t. 

Here’s how your beliefs about visibility can work against you.  

I see so many entrepreneurs spend 80% of their time busting their butts for likes on social media because they believe that this will get them more sales. Being everywhere and doing everything is guaranteed to get you slow results. Think about it like this. If you want to sink a stone throw a boulder, not a bucket of small rocks. Success in marketing come through testing and tweaking a strategy that you like until it works, then stacking on another strategy for even more growth. Not pursuing every strategy that works for someone else and beating yourself up when you see little results. 

If you are ready to truly master marketing your business grab you seat to this masterclass, How to Create a Rock Solid Business, so you have the trend proof foundation you need for growth!

Do you feel like you are chasing down every single client? Wondering if growing a business really has to be this hard? You are not alone. 

When I started my first business, a design studio, I did what many people do which is to copy the services and processes that I already knew. I had been freelancing for about a year and I had enough clients to pay the bills for about 6 months when I left my job as an Art Director for a Fortune 100 company. Leaning on what I knew got me started in my business, but it didn’t keep me going. 

I had to learn how to manage multiple projects to meet my budget, do all the work, and attract new clients. I quickly saw how much I didn’t know about growing a business and how my systems and services weren’t supporting me. When I learned about Human Design so much of my struggle made sense and I couldn’t help but wish I had known then, what I know now (don’t we all), but that wouldn’t have been in alignment with my Human Design either. Because I have a ⅗ profile, I actually have to learn by experimenting and then share that with others. When I made mistakes and learned everything I could, I remember thinking that this wasn’t just for me. And I was right. If I hadn’t had all of those experiences I wouldn’t be a coach who could not only empathize with my clients but know exactly how to get them the results they want.

Here’s what you need to know. The way to grow a successful and sustainable business is to create the business around you. 

There are many different kinds of problems that you can solve based on your experience and expertise and just as many ways to solve that problem. Building a business around you means choosing the services and how you package those services in a way that is right for you. This not only predicts how much money you make but it influences the effectiveness of your  marketing and the number of people you can serve. Let me explain.

For your business to financially support you your services have to be something YOU feel 110% sold on. If you are excited about your services, then you are also excited to market them, which makes sales so much easier.  For this to happen you have to be specific about the problem you solve, why you are the best person to do this, and the way you solve this problem has to match your capacity and your energy. 

For example, when I was doing web design I started off doing any website for anybody. That wasn’t very exciting so I niched in on entrepreneurs so I could design sites that would be more creative. I continued to struggle with my energy because I hated a long drawn-out process, so I created a 7-day site using Squarespace instead of custom-coded WordPress sites. This was better, but honestly, I wasn’t excited about web design in general. I realized that the part of the process I was excited about was the initial kick-off. The bigger vision conversations about branding and how to share their message. This realization prompted me to change my service to include branding, which I was doing separately, as part of the web design process. I enjoyed the work more and my clients got a better results. At this point, I was making great money, but working all the time and getting burned out.  Even so, I started spending a lot of time coaching clients on marketing and mindset, for free, because I loved it. Then, a client asks me to coach her. Boom, I knew this was the service for me. It felt like a dream job. It allowed me to take all of my experience and expertise and roll it into one offer that lit me up.

Here’s what I know now about growing my own business based on Human Design. 

Because I am a projector I have a limited amount of energy. While I can work really hard in short bursts, I am not built for a traditional 9-5. I also like to bring in all of my focus on one thing and finish it. It’s a gift, but it also means those long web design projects weren’t the right services for my energy. Projectors are wise guides. They see the big picture and guide the other types on how to bring their vision to life. They don’t actually do the work. In short, was born to be a coach, but it’s my experience that got me where I am today. The experience of growing a 6-figure design business led me to learn everything I could about mindset, get my certifications in Human Design, Neuro Linguistic  Programming, Life Coaching, Reiki, EFT, Hypnosis, and Business Coaching. When Projectors find something they are passionate about they go all in and master it!

This doesn’t mean that a design business was wrong for me, but I wasn’t working in alignment with my Human Design type. This is what I could have done differently. Filtered by clients better to meet my process. Perfected my systems to automate and save as much time as possible. Hired a contractor to take over the web design portion and a VA to do some of the design work. Integrated some digital products to serve clients at a lower price point, without doing more work. These changes would have allowed me to focus on building relationships with clients, creating the vision for their brand, and organizing the project, but not doing the work of executing their project. This kind of business model would keep me in my zone of genius of generating creative ideas and guiding business owners. 

Building a business around you sets you up for success not only financially but making sure you love the work you are doing so you have long-term sustainability. Human Design is my favorite tool for helping my clients do just that. You don’t have to wait or spend years trying things out to see how to make your business work for you. You can start attracting clients now and let it feel easy. Grab your free Human Design reading to find out your Human Design type and what strategy will help you create a business you love.

Every one of us experiences burnout at some point (or often!) in our life. Maybe, you stay up late on Sunday nights to stretch the weekend out a little longer because you dread facing another Monday. Maybe, you find yourself having real health issues after experiencing long-term stress and anxiety. I have experienced both, and everything in between!

After a series of traumatic events, I found myself unable to get out of bed. At first, I thought I was sick, but then I got really worried. My body just completely gave out on me and soon I was in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism. Next, came COVID and all of the stress that we all experienced with that. It’s been a long road back to recover from the toll that stress has taken on my health, but I’m getting there! I now pay close attention to my energy levels and I’m always on the lookout for signs of burnout. Human Design has been a huge part of my ability to keep my energetic cup full, enjoy my life more, take care of my body, and be more productive without burning out. 

One of the key pieces of information that your Human Design type will tell you is if you have an internal source of energy, referred to as a motor, and how strong it is. Some types are powered up for anything with a supercharged motor, other types have solar panels, and other types have no internal energy source at all. It all depends on your type, and your unique chart.

Here are some common ways each type experiences burnout and how to avoid it.

Projectors commonly experience complete burnout, just like me, by the age of 40. In Human Design, Projectors do not have an internal motor. Compared to a Generator, for example, it’s like trying to win a race in a Jon boat versus a speed boat. This means Projectors can work as hard as any other type, but only in short bursts. They need more rest to refill their energy tanks. They burn out when they try to be a speedboat to keep up with what they think they should do.

As a Projector, knowing that based on my Human Design rest makes me stronger, not weaker, was a huge dose of permission to give in, rather than fight what I already knew I needed. Lots of rest! Now, I go to bed early and take naps on the weekends without feeling bad about it! When it comes to work, I don’t feel compelled to do it all and either delegate tasks, let them go, or balance them with planned cycles of rest. 

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Let off of your fear of being lazy
• Prioritize sleep
• If you are an entrepreneur, ditch the idea of a traditional 40-hour work week. Recognize your own energetic limits and set your work hours from there.
• Projectors have a gift of bringing in all of their focus to the task at hand. Multitasking can take away from that and deplete your energy faster. Try time-blocking to avoid distractions and use your superpower to get the most out of your time.

Reflectors like projectors take on a lot of other people’s energy. Reflectors are often empaths and can experience social burnout as well as physical burnout due to not having an internal motor.  This is a type who really needs periods of rest and benefits from the cyclical nature of life. From season to cycles of the moon, nature’s growth strategy depends on periods of rest and yours should too.

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.
• Drop your fear of being lazy and plan your cycles of rest
• Surround yourself with people whose energy brings you up, not down
• Lean into your lunar cycle strategy and apply the natural rhythms of the seasons to your day-to-day life

Manifestors like Projectors do not have an internal motor. They are also running the race in a Jon boat and need larger periods of rest to show up as the highest version of themselves and ignite change. Their energy comes in a creative burst. When their burst of energy is not followed by a period of rest they become burned out. 

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Prioritize sleep
• Delegate. Remember that you start the fire, you don’t do the work of tending it.Plan and prioritize your periods of rest as an important part of your process for completing a task
• Plan and prioritize your periods of rest as an important part of your process for completing a task. 
  

Generators are the worker bees. They come with a powerful engine that allows them to work longer hours and take on more tasks. Think of those Ford tough truck commercials with the cute cowboys. They get stuff done! A Generator is at their highest expression when they are working on something that they feel passionate about. They get burned out when they don’t work on things they love, or take on everyone’s tasks just because they can. Another interesting way Generators experience burnout is when they finish something ( think completing a level) and it’s time to rest before moving on to the next thing (or level). The absence of the project can feel jarring and depressing, similar to burnout. And like burnout, it’s an indicator that it’s time for rest.

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Set boundaries around your time
• Make sure you balance what you have to do with projects(any kind of activity) you love
• Recognize the lull between projects as the rest you need for the next great thing, not a failure or wasted time.

Manifesting Generators encompass the qualities of both the Manifester and the Generators. They are great at lighting a fire under people and getting things done. They love to multi-task and are often multi-passionate. Like Generators, they can get overloaded if they don’t set good boundaries because people know that can handle a lot. They can experience something that feels like burnout when they don’t have ways they enjoy to burn off all of that energy or when they feel like people are taking their direction. 

Here are some ways that you can modify your schedule to avoid burnout.

• Set boundaries around your time for rest and doing things that bring you joy
• Embrace your multi-passionate nature and burn off energy doing things you enjoy
• Using your natural ability to lead and fire people up will fill you with energy

Human Design is a powerful tool for finding the balance in your life and the right strategy for you to create the life you want with more ease. That’s why I love using Human Design to help my clients quickly grow the business they want by embracing their natural superpowers and creating a strategy that will support them. If you would like to know more about how your Human Design type can help you grow your business sign up for a totally free Human Design Strategy call. In this call, you will discover your HD type and learn more about the right strategy for you. Grab yours here!

Marketing can seem way more complicated than it has to be when you are trying to understand what all the terms like ROI, SEO, funnel, and so on actually mean. Layer that with figuring out current marketing trends and algorithms and you may just want to throw in the towel altogether.

The truth is, none of this matters if you don’t have a strong message. Content is the foundation of all marketing. What you say about who you are and the problem you solve determines how well all of your marketing strategies work. If you aren’t getting the sales you want, your content is the best place to revamp your marketing strategy.

Marketing is how you make it easy for people to buy from you. This is why the kind of content you share makes all the difference when it comes to getting conversions. The best way to update your content marketing strategy is to ask yourself, “How can I make it easy for people to want to work with me?” What do your people need to know or understand to make a decision about working with you?

The following are some general categories of content to get you started but make each one relevant to your unique business and expertise.

What you do. This one seems simple but if you scroll on Instagram you will find it’s not often easy to see exactly what problem people solve. Make sure you are talking about what you do with the kind of clarity that people use when they Google a solution for the thing that is keeping them up at night. Think web designer for 6-figure coaches, instead of heart-centered web designer for entrepreneurs. 

Your process, expertise, and experience. Don’t confuse this with explaining every detail of your program. Save that for your sales page! This category is an opportunity to tell potential clients how you are different from other people in your industry by sharing your unique process and experiences that show you understand your client’s problem better than anyone else.

How you think. Education has always been an important category of content for sharing online. But, I want to challenge you to think about it differently. Instead of just 3 ways to (insert topic here), think of it as thought leadership. Talk about those clickbait topics in a way that tells people how you think about the topic and your unique way to approach a problem. This elevates you as a leader in your industry rather than sharing a tip that the reader will soon forget. If your business is education, add this category to stand out online. If your business is done for you services use this category to attract the right clients. 

Sales. Sales posts tell the reader exactly what your services are and how they can take the next step in working with you. This is the most forgotten category because people don’t want to be “salesy”, but you have to ask people to work with you if you want more clients. Avoiding the ask means you are avoiding getting more sales. Remember that selling is how you tell people what you can do to solve their problem. Selling is helping!

Client results. If you hate to brag about the amazing results you get your clients then you are making it hard for people to buy from you. We all want that extra assurance that our investment will pay off. Sharing client feedback is crucial to getting more sales. 

Now that you have fresh content ideas, it’s time to think about your strategy – how you will share your content. This is where most people think about what they have to do. They start with what seems to be trending and what others they admire are doing. STOP right there! Just as many people who do talking head videos have mega followers as people who entertain with the latest dance. People who show up in sweatpants with dirty hair and people who glow on a beach all have followers. The best strategy for you is what actually works for you. If something works for you it means: you can commit to being consistent, you get conversions, and you don’t hate it.  

Think about what is the best way for you to connect with your audience first, then consider how different platforms and trends can support that. 

Getting back to the foundations of marketing, your content will increase your conversions making it easy for people to feel good about investing with you. When it comes to sharing your content, focusing on what works for you will help you stay consistent and grounded in your marketing (which produces more results) throughout 2023.

Now that we’ve covered how to rethink the content you share to attract clients let’s talk about finding the right way to share your content. Grab your totally free Human Design Strategy Call where you will discover your Human Design type and the best strategy for your unique blueprint. 

Entrepreneurship has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of my life. Many of my business friends and clients feel the same way. In fact, according to a study by the National Institute of Mental Health  72% of entrepreneurs are directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues compared to just 48% of non-entrepreneurs. 

A key reason entrepreneurs experience more challenges with depression and anxiety is that they are often under more significant financial pressure and stress. 

Taking such big financial risks forced me to deal with any and all of the baggage I was carrying in my backpack. My beliefs about money, fear of failure, and beliefs around success and self-worth all came crashing to the forefront of my mind without any warning when I started my business.  While not a fun experience, unpacking my backpack allowed me to grow in ways I never could have imagined and set me on a path to learn everything I could about mindset and entrepreneurship so I could support others. 

Here are some of the best ways I have learned to support my mental health by staying grounded and avoiding overwhelm while building a business.

Define what success looks like to you. The surest way to stay grounded in your business is to be clear about what success looks and feels like to you, instead of chasing someone else’s vision of success. When we start our business it’s often the freedom of being our own boss we are looking forward to. Taking a day off when we want, picking up our kids from school, or ditching our commute feels like a huge win. When you remember that you are already successful in so many ways just by launching your business and you are clear on your vision of success you will feel successful long before you reach your big money goals.This will help you continue to feel good, even when your business is still growing.

Define what you are willing to do and not do to achieve success. Keeping your priorities straight and letting go of the things that stand in the way of what’s really important is another way to ensure that you are feeling good in your business while working towards your goals. It’s so easy for us as entrepreneurs to start a business to work less, make more money, and enjoy our lives only to work double the hours and feel chained to our business. Defining what you are willing to do, like working 30 hours a week for example, and what you can let go of, like working weekends, will help you align with your vision of success and give you the work balance you need to avoid burnout.

Create a support system around you. Having a support system isn’t just about building a team. Building a business can be stressful and surrounding yourself with people who can support you can make a huge difference. This could look like a partner who can take on extra responsibilities at home if you have a difficult client, a launch phase, or a growth cycle. It can look like hiring a housekeeper, having your groceries delivered, or paying someone to pick up your kids. You can join a coaching program, mastermind, or schedule regular calls with a business bestie so you have someone to talk about your business with and get the pep talks and counsel you need to excel. No one builds their business alone, and you don’t have to earn support, you just have to decide what you need. 

Have an emergency plan. One of the easiest ways to get overwhelmed is to not have an emergency plan. Big corporations have extensive plans for unforeseen emergencies and you should too. You can have your time blocked perfectly in your calendar, but if you or a kid gets sick it is like a grenade in your schedule. You can make a plan for what you do if something happens and you can’t make your deadlines or keep appointments. For example, you can create an email template to send to clients when you need them to reschedule their appointments due to an emergency or illness. You can know what your priority list of tasks are so you can shift non-priority. You can keep a list of contractors who can fill in for you.  Working in bulk like scheduling your blogs and social media posts for the month will also ensure that business keeps going even when you need a break.  These are all ways that you can create a safety net for yourself and your business with a little planning to avoid overwhelm and burnout.

 Being clear about what I want, and what is important to me, and setting up systems to keep my business going when I need time off have made a huge difference in how I feel about being a business owner and the sustainability of my business. If you would like to know more about avoiding burnout read this post, How Each Human Design Type Experiences Burnout & How to Avoid it.

One of the most important lessons I learned this year is to STOP doing things I hate to do. This seems like a no-brainer, but many of us as women and business owners do tons of stuff we hate because we think it’s the necessary trade-off for getting what we want. Letting go of what drains me in business has been an ongoing process. But a few months ago I realized I need to also apply this to my daily life. 

Even though I was going to Barre classes at least 4 days a week and had been in other studios over the last 3 years, I REALLY hated it. I bullied myself into going, was miserable the whole time, and beat myself up for not having more endurance.  Then, as soon as it was over I high-tailed out of there. Eventually, my body started to rebel and I was having lower back and hip pains that only made the experience even more miserable. I still kept showing up with a really bad attitude and determination, because I thought this is what I needed to do to the body I wanted. 

Finally, my husband said, “It’s like you are punishing yourself. Why don’t you just quit?” My first reaction was almost combative like, I’m no quitter! Then, I realized how ridiculous this whole situation really was. I was intentionally making myself miserable because in the past, I liked Barre and it gave me the results I wanted. Even though that was no longer true, I just kept pushing through, because I had created a belief that this was the only way to get what I want. 

It took me a few weeks, but I did quit. I decided to go back to my yoga practice. Yoga is something I started learning 20 years ago, and I love it. I love it so much that I never really thought about it as exercise. My yoga classes are challenging and some days I don’t feel like going, but I also feel really good when I do and I am getting stronger. Proof that getting what you want doesn’t have to be hard.

That’s a very similar pattern I have also experienced in business and I know I am not the only one because I see so many of my clients do it too. Maybe, you are bullying yourself to start a podcast, even though have a great referral system. Maybe, you are pumping yourself up to dance on TikTok even though you have a great Facebook group. Whatever your version of Barre is, there is another way to get what you want that doesn’t feel like punishment.  

For some reason, I needed my husband to tell me to quit to feel like it was OK for me to cancel my membership, and that experience has made me look at everything differently in my day-to-day life. What I realized from this whole experience is that I needed a huge mindset shift around doing things I hate in my personal life, just like I had in my business.

Human Design gave me a HUGE dose of similar permission in my business to stop doing what I thought I needed to do for what actually felt right for me. I know this is why my clients cry when we go through their Human Design chart. They feel seen, understood, and free to let go of what doesn’t make them happy. It’s permission to find your yoga AND get the results you want. 

You can find out exactly Human Design can totally change YOUR business when you join my totally free workshop on December 6th, Attract Your Next Five Clients. Join this 1-hour workshop where you will find out your Human Design type and learn which strategies align with your unique blueprint so you can STOP doing stuff you hate and start attracting clients with ease.