Are you ready to turn on your faucet and see a gushing stream come
out?  If, in fact, you are only getting a small dribble, then this
article is definitely for you!

Are you working hard and putting in long hours to just have a tiny
trickle.  That’s not fun and it just shouldn’t be that way.

Just by making a small, but significant shift in your niche focus,
your business will change and transform overnight.

It’s all about developing many ways to directly fulfill the needs
and wants of a specific and narrow group.

I  have strategically followed this process and I had the best year
ever last year, in spite of the economy!  This really works.

Especially in a service based business, your niche is not your
product. It is all about the specific group of people you are
marketing to.

This is not complicated, but fears and confusion tend to make it
seem that way. Many of my clients are afraid that if they narrow
their niche they will have even a smaller steam of clients. It can
feel scary when you need more money.

•  Overcome your fear and admit that you need help.
•   Acknowledge that the marketing plan you have now isn’t working.
•   Let go of self-doubt and decide to stretch and grow bigger. It
always begins here!

You need to make sure  you have picked the correct niche and then
develop the correct plan and strategy that will make your business
grow.

Maybe you think you know exactly who your niche group is and yet you are still struggling to get your business to bring in the cash you need!

If you have managed to know clearly who your niche is you are miles ahead of most small solo business owners who are confused and unclear.

Here is an easy 3-part assessment to help you evaluate whether your niche is a strong one or not.  Look at all three of these points and see if you get a “yes.”

1. They have a strong emotionally compelling problem or issue they need help with.

2. They want the positive results that will either make them feel much better or solve a big problem.

3. They are willing to pay for the benefits they will receive because they see the value to their life, business and/or happiness.

Your entire marketing plan needs to be built around one small, but strong group of people. Every decision and every strategy needs to have these people as it’s focus.  It needs to be a narrow group of people that pass the Niche Assessment with flying colors.

To grow a stronger business and make more money it’s not about marketing to a million different kinds of people. It is about marketing to one narrow strong group and offering a million different ways they can work with you.

Get your free 30 minute session with me to evaluate your niche. it could change your whole business  overnight!!

It’s hard work running a business, and  like the ocean tide, it is normal for energy to ebb and flow, but it  still can be challenging when those low times hit!

Can you relate, and what do you do to shift your energy?

Especially if you are a solo-business owner, it can feel like its all up to you to keep things going and stay on track. Some days you wake up and just don’t feel like it!  You wish  you could win the lottery and quit, or just take a long paid vacation.

Even if you love your business and it’s fun, there are still days you feel like this and yet you need to stay focused and on track.  Here are some things that might help.

1. Find your community and share. Isolation just makes it worse. Being part of a group you can connect with, can give you energy immediately.

2. Listen to how it is for other people when they feel this way. Again- this will help you feel less alone and more normal!

3. Create your goals for the week and tell someone.  Once you begin, your energy and focus will start to flow again. Accountability also helps  you to stay on track.

What do you do to motivate and inspire yourself when your energy is lagging?

Are you ready to find a community that works for you?  Does this question speak to you? Wouldn’t it be great to find a place you can respond to this question and connect with others as well?

Go to the Awake Business Teahouse Inner Circle. This question was just posted this morning. You can respond and be part of the discussion immediately!

There are only be committed entrepreneurs present. Only $1 to join so don’t let that stop you. If you are reading this, you are exactly the kind of person we are looking for.

Find out more about the Awake Business TeaHouse and how it can support  your business success.

Once summer weather comes, I am outside and away from work on Sundays. I wake up thinking about bike rides, gardening, swimming or picnics.  However today, here in Portland it is cold and rainy. It’s May 23rd and one would expect  sunshine because we had it in February but that sun is a trickster and often disappears again and throws me into a mild funk! I am one of those people who live in Portland in spite of the weather.

So today I am inside and working ‘on’ my business. No meetings, no client calls,  and no need to get dressed up. Here are three things to do that will bring some sunshine into your business even when it is cloudy outside. If you happen to be in Tucson, then you can use these same three things on a day it is too hot and sunny to go outside. ( I wish:)

All of these things are in the important but not urgent category. What this means is that they will help your business tremendously but, not seeming urgent, they tend to get put off.

1.  Update your website. Browse your own website and imagine you are a potential customer; someone who is squarely part of your niche market. Notice how it feels from their point of view. Decide what you want to change, add or delete. Notice what isn’t working well. Re-write content,  edit for errors, add new pages or change photos. Websites get stale if they are not changed every so often. Your regular customers will feel renewed interest when they go back to your site and see new content.

2. Look at your business plan.  Do a self-assessment and see how you are doing, where you need to put energy and what  areas need to grow. You might think of some new programs to offer your niche market or some new systems for your office. Use my Whole Business Circle for a quick assessment tool. It works!

3. Tidy  up your office. Do that project you have been putting off, dust your shelves and bring in some cut flowers. You spend so much time in this space and it is so easy to not give it that little extra energy.

If you do any of these three things you will begin the week with some renewed energy and focus. I worked on my website today and it felt great! I manged to take a bike ride in between rain drops. What did you do?

For solo business owners, the irony of growing a business is that at the beginning you are focused on bringing in any amount of money. Many people begin their business after leaving a job or completing a training program.

Whatever the circumstances, most solo entrepreneurs have no savings and no start up cash.  They use credit cards, do everything themselves and focus on bringing in cash right away so they can eat and pay their rent. Sound familiar?

Entrepreneurs in this category are some of the most hardworking people I know. They put in long hours and work all the time. They are driven not just by need, but by their passion and desire to be successful. However, money is important and they also want the freedom. Freedom from stress and worry about their cash flow and freedom to be able to take a vacation without more huge credit card debt.

The irony is that, in order to make more money you have to spend more money. There is an order to this process:

1. Know your niche market inside and out. Know exactly who you are helping and why. Know exactly what your people need and what they are willing to pay for.

2. Once you know that, develop your main service and product around their problem and how you can solve it.

3. Develop more and more products and services that continue to offer help to this same group of people.

This 1-2-3 process works. You will begin to earn more money, your cash flow will increase as there are more income streams, however there are also more financial outlays. It cost money to make money.

1. You can’t do everything yourself eventually. You will need to hire  people to help you for specific jobs.

2. You will need to update your website or build a new one that better reflects your business.

3. You will need to hire a mentor because if you don’t you will not have the support to face all the issues and problems you will need to overcome along the way.

4. You will need to spend money  on new equipment, software and tools.

5. You might need a new office.

So, how do you actually increase your profits with this scenario?  It has to do with strategic planning, developing income streams that become self-supporting after the start-up costs and keeping your long term vision clear.  I now understand the old saying, ” It takes five years before most businesses make a profit.”