2020 has been a year. I don’t even have the words to describe it. It would have been really easy for me to avoid my typical end-of-the-year reflection and just write this year off as a hot mess. But when you go through a difficult year, it’s all the more reason to reflect on what went well, what didn’t, and to celebrate the fact that YOU MADE IT THROUGH.
That being said, here are my top takeaways from 2020…
Fewer things = greater impact
Feels like it should be the opposite, right? Like the more you do, the more clients you get. Not the case, my friend. In fact, the more you push and try to force clients, the further they will run. You don’t get more by doing more. You get more by doing fewer things that have a bigger impact. Let go of the desire to do everything and be everything. That’s not what your audience needs. Focus on being the best you can be in one or two places and then watch as the clients roll in.
Consistency matters
Landing clients requires consistency. It means you need to show up for your people every day and build relationships. Think of your best friend…did you become friends with that person overnight? Of course not! You took time to show up for them, spend time together, and nurture the relationship. It’s the same with marketing. If anyone tells you any differently, run in the other direction. I get that right now you’re feeling pressure to land clients overnight. But I can promise that you’ll land them much faster if you stop chasing the shiny objects and start chasing consistency. Consistency for me looked like showing up every day inside of my free group, offering bonus trainings throughout the year, and sharing some tough love to help my people work through the things that are keeping them from their goals.
Serve others and it will come back tenfold
Serve your people. This year I served my audience well, my clients well, and offered content without expecting that people would buy. If you just show up and focus on the person who needs you, then you can have as many clients as you want. The more I show up and take care of the audience the more they want to work with me. Plain and simple.
Boundaries are crucial to success
High-ticket clients are attracted to people who have the confidence to set boundaries in their business. If you don’t have boundaries in your marketing, that could be why you’re not landing as many dream clients as you want. Boundaries look like: setting specific times to work and be online (and unplugging when you’re with your family), not chasing specific clients down to convince them to work with you, having set times for when you communicate with your clients, unfollowing anyone who causes you second guess yourself, etc. Which boundaries does the 6-figure version of you need to set?
Mindset is MOST of the battle
You can have the best strategy and know all the steps, but none of it matters if you aren’t taking care of your mind every single day. This looks like checking in each day and asking yourself: how am I feeling today? This will almost always bring up some thoughts that need to be addressed. Unpack each thought, write it down, and then ask yourself: is this thought true? Why/why not?
Getting that out there every day will help you identify patterns of thoughts/beliefs that aren’t helpful and help you identify what’s standing in your way of reaching your goals. No, I’m not suggesting you spend all day journaling. A simple 5 or 10 minute check-in can help you reset and start the day fresh.
People will always judge you
Guess what – someone is ALWAYS judging you…no matter what you do. I know, I know, it’d be nice if everyone liked you, right? Your desire to be liked cannot be stronger than your desire to make an impact. When you focus on being liked, you cater to people who aren’t your ideal client. Stop marketing out of fear – yes, someone will always have an opinion of you (ask me how I know), but that doesn’t mean you have to let their opinion dictate your marketing. Give others space to have their opinions and stay laser focused on your goals. You don’t have time for distractions.
You’re capable of more than you realize
What are you telling yourself every day? Are you telling yourself that you’re capable of more? Or are you telling yourself that you’re not really an expert and there’s no way anyone will pay you? Or maybe you’re telling yourself that it’s not possible to have more success?
If it’s the latter, I first want you to know that you’re not alone. Your mind is a very powerful thing. It will believe whatever you tell it – and this includes all of those negative self-doubt statements. The truth is, you’re capable of so much MORE than you realize. The only thing keeping you from getting clients is YOU.
One of the best questions I started asking myself is: who says? Who says I can’t make more money? Who says I have to work more hours to be more successful? Who says there are limits to what’s possible? Don’t take your thoughts at face value – question them and you’ll always uncover the hidden beliefs that are keeping you stuck.
Invest before you’re ready
Every time I invest, I feel afraid. I’ve invested a ton into my business in 2020 and there was always fear. I’ve learned that fear is a good thing. It means that whatever I’m about to invest in is important to me. Which means I’m going to take it a LOT more seriously. Every time I invest, my brain kicks into high gear and goes, “Okay, this is the new normal.” That’s why I’ve been able to have my biggest months ever right after making a significant investment.
I see so many women telling themselves that fear is bad and that it’s a sign they shouldn’t invest. Fear is your brain’s normal way of processing things to keep you “safe.” Recognize it for what it is instead of making yourself wrong for experiencing it. When you invest, you automatically challenge yourself to go to the next level. And that’s where the REAL magic happens. Of course, it needs to be the right investment (that goes without saying), but even with the right investment our brains will question us out of fear. Stop making decisions based on where you are now and think about where you WANT to be. Will this investment get you to your goal? If so, then invest. After all, investing in yourself is one of the safest things you can do because the only thing you have control over is you.
Last note: I want to be fully transparent here and tell you that 2020 was my best year in business ever. I doubled my revenue from last year and I’ve grown significantly as a leader. I tell you this because if 2020 was a good year in your business, you may be feeling some guilt. After all, if the year itself was so bad for the entire world, is it okay that your business did well?
The short answer? Yes. It’s MORE than okay to have a good year in business during a truly difficult year in the world. Celebrate what you achieved. Celebrating a good year in business doesn’t minimize the tough times the world has experienced. You can feel both sadness for the state of the world and joy at what your business brought you.
If you didn’t have a good year in business, I still want you to celebrate. You made it through. You’re still standing. That is more than enough to celebrate.
How was your 2020? Drop a comment below and let me know!
- I’m taking new clients for 2021. If you’re looking for clarity in who your ideal client is, support in reaching consistent 5K months, and a steady cash flow in your business, set up a 5-Figure Accelerator call and let’s talk about how to get you there.
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Great post! Consistency is definitely the key!