I hear about how entrepreneurs fear scaling or upleveling their business. I get it because it totally changes your life. There can be so much fear bundled up into that powerful word that it might make you think, how can I possibly do that.
You begin to think about all the things that would have to change or should change to really feel like you’re ready to uplevel. What scares most entrepreneurs is that money. Yes! Raising their prices just creates a whole new level of fear in their mind.
Can I do really do it successfully?
Will my current clients leave me?
Will I be able to sell my services at a higher price?
Will I be able to make it at that level?
Do I have to spend money on new photos and a new website?
How will my marketing and messaging change?
Will I be taken seriously?
Will others believe that I am capable of doing this without failing?
What will other entrepreneurs who are already on that level think or say about me?
Are you tired of all those fear-based questions yet?
I’ve been there and questioned a few things about myself when I felt the desire to uplevel in my business. I didn’t let stop me and I quite honestly, I didn’t have all the answers to those questions, but I knew what I had been called to do and knew God was telling me I have to go higher.
What makes running a business feel so crazy at times, as if being a business owner doesn’t have enough of its own roller coasters, there are times when God just tells you to pull the trigger, like He did with Abraham. Abraham was very comfortable with his life and all his possessions, but God said it’s time for you to pack up and leave this comfortable place. I’ll tell you where to go when you leave. (Like really?!!!!) Can you imagine!
When it was time for me to uplevel my business, it’s not because I felt 100% ready, which if you ask most entrepreneurs, and if they’re honest, they would tell you the same. Just like Abraham, I had to figure it out as I did and learn what upleveling would like for me and not do it based on everyone else’s definition and tactics.
Here are a few tips to help you confidently uplevel your business with ease and less hustle.
Mindset and Confidence
If you’ve been in the game for a while, you know that mindset is major and can not be overlooked. Mindset is foundational to everything and it’s also a never-ending process of work that must be done on the regular or daily basis.
Most of this starts with confronting those pesky negative thoughts you have about yourself now and the doubts you have placed along the path to your next level. It’s those doubts you may not have encountered yet, but they are there waiting to block as you start taking action.
Uplevel how you see yourself, your business, and even your thoughts and perceptions. It’s like putting on a new set of armor because going to a new level will definitely bring on a new set of challenges.
Boundaries
I didn’t have as many boundaries around my business as I do now. I was very content with pretty much everything, but when it was time for the shift, I also had to put some armor on other other parts of my business.
I stopped doing discovery calls with anyone who schedule and went to an application-based process before the discovery call. I knew this meant I could end up doing less discovery calls, but I also would not be wasting my time with business owners who were not serious or could not afford my services. I also knew it meant I would have more successful discovery calls which was more important to me.
It’s quality over quantity!
Community
I stopped accepting every friend request or group request. I’m a big believer in building community and connections, but I also wanted to protect the connections I was making online. It didn’t mean that every connection I made was always good, but I became more judicious about it because if I was going to be your online friend, it was for a reason and not for a number.
I wanted to know more about you, support you, vice versa, and consider how this connection would be mutually beneficial. If I thought it was just a spam or junk request, I declined or deleted it. No apology.
Energy and Schedule
This was hard for me because I’m really passionate about what I do that it doesn’t feel like work and it’s hard for me to stop when I feel like I can keep going. I’m a natural high-achiever driven by my internal desires to make things happen, but I had to redefine my schedule and implement better energy habits into my life.
Upleveling my business meant I was going even deeper into myself and serving my clients on a deeper and more challenging level. No surface stuff! I was bringing a higher version of myself into my business and to my clients and that required a vast amount of mental and creative energy.
A small physics tip for you: Energy is not created or destroyed. It’s just transferred from one object to another.
Areas in my business where I was spending more of my energy had to be transferred to the areas where it would serve me on a higher and deeper level.
To do that, I created a CEO schedule for myself and started implementing the high-performance habits I was learning from Brendon Burchard. I also changed my client scheduling hours that was more conducive to the trajectory I was on and not on the level I had been operating on for so long.
Clarity and Consistency
Clarity is a gold mine for your life and business and the more you dig deep the more gold you find. I got super clear on me, my next client, income, and how I wanted to show up in my business through my client-attraction strategies. Mindset work went hand in hand this because we stand in our own way of getting the in-your-face clarity you need to really become the next level person you really want to be.
You can’t be the same person and do the same old things and rise to the next level. All of this has to be congruent and cohesive or you may still end up feeling out out alignment.
Content Marketing and Confidence
The game-changer. Knowing exactly how I was going to communicate, connect, and attract my next level clients was the game changer. You may have noticed that I used the word ‘confidence’ twice. Confidence is key in how you see yourself inside of your business, it’s the internal uplevel that you do. Your content marketing is the external confidence you have and how you want your community and ideal clients to see you outside of your business.
You can be super confident on the inside, but when it’s time to show up and do the work, you can’t afford to shrink back.
Your confidence have to breathe through your content marketing so that what you ideal client see is actually what she gets. I like to use the metaphor, you’re a great singer in the shower, but when you get on stage, your voice cracks.) You’ve got to close the gap between that so you’re in complete alignment with you and business. Trust me your clients will appreciate that because it will help you help them get the results they need.
Systems, Automation, and Outsourcing
Getting the right systems in place are important, but I’ll go against the grain and tell you that you don’t have to have all the systems before you consider upleveling your business; I certainly didn’t. Consider what’s sustainable for you and your business and choose wisely. I help my clients uplevel their personal brand value through their content marketing so that it works hard for them without the need for fancy complicated systems.
However, a few things you definitely want to consider is automating what feels aligned with how you want to operate in your business. Implement systems, integrations, and outsource all at once or in phases. You can still successfully uplevel without franticing over systems. But as you continue to grow, make sure you have systems in place that can grow with you.
Core Signature Service and Increasing Your Prices
If you have a gazillion services that you offer to your clients, the first thing you should do is trim down the number of services you have. Too many options for your clients equal too many decisions which simply equals confusion. Your signature service is where your clients will get the highest return on their investment with you, so highlighting the value is key!
In the beginning, most coaches tie their value to the hours the client gets to work with them. If you’re upleveling your services and raising your prices, restructuring your core service with increased value is more important than focusing on the number of calls a client has.
As you can see, there’s a lot that goes into upleveling your business. I don’t just focus on the prices and your service, but I take a holistic approach to upleveling because sustainability looks different for each new level you rise.
Have you contemplated taking your business to the next level? Need help with getting a holistic and hustle-free strategy to uplevel your business? Let’s work together. http:/bit.ly/iamyourmentor