I’ve asked myself this many times over the last 26 years when it’s all seemed a bit much!  Most of us do..  However, things have changed this year and at last have an answer!  I’ve always believed business should happen with a sense of ease!

Here are some tips for keeping it simple.

No, running a business doesn’t have to be difficult.  You may put a good few hours in, maybe get some help with the new skills you need, get strategic but  “hard” and difficult”, that’s more of a state of mind which you can adjust and exchange for a “fun, light and easy” state of mind.  That’s strategy and brain training.

Overwhelmed by all the the options?

When I first started my business in 1993 as a massage therapist, we only had the Yellow Pages and the Evening Echo, the local paper to advertise in.  Sometimes I managed to be featured in the local papers too.

Later I wrote for various local magazines, writing a new article each month, sharing something new.  I did attract clients, some of whom worked with me for years.  One of the most important things was that I became a local expert, my articles were consistent and set me up as a competent pair of hands to come and see.  By 1999 I was a full time complementary therapist working from home.

In 2019 there are a huge and confusing range of ways to promote your business.

Now we have such a confusing array of advertising options online, we can excuse ourselves for getting lost in the mix.  We never felt we had to be competent at so many different things that we never learnt at school!  Twitter, Facebook, Lives, video, Instagram, Linkedin… It’s really easy to get lost and not know where to start,

Some tips for making it simple!

Get totally clear who you are writing for, your ideal clients.

Are you writing for everyone on Facebook or just for the few people?  I’ll call them your ideal clients, the people  you would most love to  work with.You only write for and talk to your Ideal Clients in your marketing! 

For instance this article is written for women who want to grow their small business quickly and easily, doing something they love, wanting to make a difference and probably feeling a bit frustrated too and not knowing which direction to take!

What do your ideal clients want to hear? 
What are their challenges? What are they happy to spend money on fixing?

It may be a lawn full of weeds that they would love to be green and lush.  It could be a child who is anxious or maybe it’s a business that that is their passion and vehicle to make a difference in the world and they are ready to grow.

Give lots of great information away!

People are looking for information, for tips, for help with their problems and if you are posting, they will find you.

Focus on creating a body of information that appeals to your ideal client that helps them with their challenges and sets you up as the expert.  Something you can really, genuinely stand behind.

Which type of marketing do you enjoy?  What comes easy to you and lights you up? 

How would you like to share your personal magic and solutions for your ideal clients?  Do you enjoy writing?  Would you like to take photographs and share lots on Instagram?

Do you fancy making videos or regular Lives?  Do you like public speaking?  There are so many ways now of sharing our magic.  I’ve settled on monthly webinars, weekly lives and a blog at the moment as I know my ideal clients are enjoying seeing and reading these, they tell me! This is enough for me to manage as you can expect to spend a shocking 40% of your work time marketing a new business.

It’s about our attitude and how we talk to ourselves. 

Ninety percent of business is about mindset.   If you take lots of practical action but you’re not aligned with it, you’ll never get the results you are looking for.

I still work quite a lot of hours on my business, mainly because I love it, enjoy the people and am working out ways of handing more tasks over to other people.  I’ve never been great at delegating.  It’s my baby and we can tend to be very precious about how our babies are cared for.   We are scared to let other people get involved as they might not do things to our exacting standards.. and sometimes it’s because we (I) have not been the best at asking for what I want and expressing myself.  Sometimes I don’t even know what I want so how can I ask anyone else to do it?  Result. I don’t get what I want!

My mantras is now, ”I’m clear and I know.”  Drop the “I don’t know” from your vocabulary! 

As soon as I catch myself saying “I don’t know”,  I substitute “I’m clear and I know,” saying this powerfully, then trust and expect  that the inspiration will come, often one small step at a time.  Taking that step the next is revealed.

I’ll be writing much more about mindset and how we create our own reality over the next few weeks.