7 things you need to know to be successful

There are many things you are not taught in school if you study business. In my last 4 years of being a coach, I always feel there are some harsh realities of business we do not want to face. But I believe, in understanding these 7 things, we can truly develop a mindset to expect success and all grow to be millionaires! 

1. Growing a business takes time! 

Trust me. And I am not saying this to burst your bubble or anything but to give you some harsh truths about what it takes to grow a really successful business.

That is why there is the popular saying that most businesses close down after 3-5 years or that Rome was not built in a day. They are not only popular sayings but they are some real truths.

Your rise to the top of your niche takes time. It takes perseverance and it takes determination. Doing the work is essential but also being patient and trusting in the process as you grow. Because the truth is things will not always work out the way that you want it to and that is okay! But that does not mean you stop working. No….it means you learn, you grow and you keep doing what you love.

2. There is enough for all of us to be millionaires. 

And I truly believe that to be so. Think about it. There is more than 1 successful athlete, chef, lawyer, doctor, consultant, real estate agent. Success is relative but it can happen for each of us.

Am I the very best at what I do? Hello no. I still have a ton more to learn obviously but….I can tell you that every week and every month I rise higher than I was before.

How? Because I get super intentional in

1. What I want to happen

2. Who I want to serve

3. How I am going to serve them

4. How much I am going to make

And then I keep going until I get exactly what I want. There is no compromise and no slacking off. Your rise to the top means that you have to put aside your excuses and just get to work everyday no matter what!

3. Mind your business

Really and truly you need to mind your own business. We spend so much time looking at our competitors or worried about what they are charging and what they are offering that we miss some great opportunities right in front of us.

The number of times I have heard a client say- But Adanna I know people selling the same thing like me for so much more and wonder why they charging so much……or…….I seeing people with less quality than mine and getting more sales…….SO WHAT????

Forget about them and focus on you and the clients you have that are ready to buy from you. The only time I look at my clients is to get market research. I look at the comments people leave under the posts or their blogs and grab a ton of content to share with my own audience. Their price does not affect or influence me. Their images do not compete with mine. Their story is not my story.

Mind your business and get lazer focused on what you want to happen for your business and how you want to make your clients happy. Competitors are just other people trying to make it in this world. You do not have to love them, and you do not have to hate them. Smile and wave and move right along!

4. Do regular audits

I do regular audits of my business processes because I know the technology is always changing and how people consume information is always changing because of it. So as you step out into your greatness and start to claim your success, I want you to consider these 5 things

1. Do I have an engaged audience? A group of people who are buying, liking, sharing and commenting on every piece of content that I am putting out to the world. If not, then we need to fix that

2. Is my message clear? Is my audience asking me the same questions over and over. Is it very clear to them what I am offering and how I can make their lives better? If not, then we need to fix that

3. Am I showing up to my audience often enough so they do not forget me? And where exactly am I showing up the most? Where am I getting the most traction?

4. Am I using all the free tools available to me to really connect and engage with my audience in a meaningful way? If not, then we need to fix that

5. Am I teaching them something new? Making them think or take pause? Am I making their lives better every time they hear or see me? If not, then we need to fix that

Listen…growing a successful business is not a slap and stick system. You have to audit your processes. You have to pivot and adjust. You have to be flexible. You have to know what is going on in your industry. You have to be the voice in your clients head so they always remember you.

If you said NO to all or any of the questions above, then it’s time we fix that! 

5. Don’t do it all alone

The biggest mistake in business is believing that I could do it all alone. So let me explain because I know you can relate. I had a great business idea and I knew I had the knowledge to share. So I launched and I shared and I created content and did videos and workshops and speaking engagements and got more clients and more clients but I was burnt out and any money I made was going straight back into the business so I was not enjoying the process.

Like many of you I use to think…well I do not have the money to hire a graphic artist or a virtual assistant or a web developer or a coach. And the longer I held onto that belief the more tired I became and the more I struggled to make money.

When I hired my first 2 coaches, I had no idea where the money would come from. But I knew that if I intentionally and consistently implemented what was taught to me every week…without excuses..that I would make that money. It was $10K bill after all. And guess what it happened because I knew I had to pay that bill and knew I did not want to dip into my savings to cover it. So I worked my butt off to not just pay it but to learn and grow my business so making $10k would become my norm every month

Same thing happened when I decided to have a virtual assistant and a web developer. I knew the costs involved and I was determined to be able to pay them every week without fail by doing the work I know needed to be done to pay them and continue to grow my business.

You see, in business as in life, you may need help. That does not make you weak. But alot of times we keep ourselves stuck because of our limiting beliefs about ourselves and what we can accomplish. You can do it and you can build your team and build your business. It is not impossible. Your determination and your work will make it happen!

6. Track your money

This is an exercise I go thru with all of my clients. Many people do not really know how much they are truly making. They have a figure in their heads but alot of times it is wayyyyyy off.

I had a client one time, tell me she wanted to make $20K a month. I told her to go back and calculate how much she had made over the last 3 months in her business. When she came back to me, it turns out she was making almost $30K a month already…..but she never felt like she was making that amount. Why

1. She was not tracking her money

2. She did not have a budget per say

3. She had no real plans for the money she wanted to make

In order for you to have a great business, you have to get real cozy with your money. The money you have and the money you are about to make. Be clear about how much you really want/need to make. DO not pull a figure out of thin air…start writing out your expenses etc and create a real budget.

Then go back and calculate how much you have actually made in the last 3 months

Then set a written plan for the money that is about to come flowing to you

You have to plan this thing down to the last dollar if you want to see if come to light. You want to manifest this thing by knowing exactly how you want and need and exactly how you are going to manage it once you get it. You deserve it and it can and shall be yours.

7. The bare minimum is not enough

I see so many businesses with such great products doing the bare minimum and it makes me want to scream! Sometimes I want to send them a PM or jump in their DM and say hello hello hello…….people are waiting for you! People want what you are offering! THE PEOPLE LITERALLY AT YOUR DOOR STEP BUT YOUR DOOR IS SHUT TIGHT!!!

Come on guys. We know doing the bare minimum never got anybody anywhere. Building the business you love takes work and sacrifice. It takes grit and guts. It takes belief and gumption. The people want what you are offering so please please let’s make it easy for them and let’s get you that such money

1. Show up consistently….yes yes yes please. Once a week is never enough

2. Teach your audience. Show them proof of your brilliance and expertise

3. Ask them questions and really get to know what they want and how they want it. Engage Engage Engage

4. Sell them more than 1 thing at a time. Upsell Upsell Upsell. Give them what they want. Want to make $40K a month, then sell 4 different things at the same time in one month at different price points.

5. Stop running scared and charge the right price. Charging the lowest does not get you the sales. Calculate all the costs associated with producing the thing that you do and then charge for it. Include ALLLLLL of your costs.

Let’s rise together and make these things happen in your business before 2021!