The end of the year is a perfect time to fine tune your business plan and get focused for the next year.  The challenge of most small serviced based business owners is that they tend to think like practitioners. It can be a challenge to change your mind-set to one of a “business owner”.

One thing that makes it hard, is when well meaning people ask you how your “practice” is going. People ask me if I have new clients and how many people I see per week.  I appreciate the interest of course, however they don’t really get that this is the wrong question.

The right question is, “How is your business doing?”  How my business is doing is not so much about new client appointments. It’s really about cash flow, marketing, new programs, loyal clients and developing systems.

I spend at least half of my time on marketing. For instance, writing my blog posts here is part of marketing.  Some of my new clients struggle with this idea because they are so in need of immediate money. This is true for most new solo business owners. They tend to see marketing  as work without direct payment and get frustrated when their marketing efforts don’t have immediate financial benefit.

In a service based business,  it doesn’t work this way. Marketing is what brings in the cash flow, but it is an ongoing endeavor, and any marketing strategy takes about four months before you notice the benefit. You have to determine your prices based on the hours spent on marketing as well as all of your administrative tasks. In this sense, there is a direct financial gain.

Plan your marketing strategies for January, February and March including:
•  Local and online networking.
•  New freebies to offer people a taste.
•  New products and programs to offer your clients.

Make decisions based on your niche market clients and what they need and where they are.

•  Be persistent and consistent.
•  Focus on the long term results.

Avoid your tendency to offer  “sales,” This will make you sound desperate and in general not a good marketing tactic. it works for Target and WalMart but not for services. Instead, create a solid marketing plan, get a support group and find a workbook to help you  focus, overcome obstacles and become a leader of your business!

When you run a service based business it is all about helping people!

Very gratifying but can also be challenging if you are someone who suffers from perfectionism!

It’s that nagging feeling that you have to be perfect! Right along with it are a myriad  of thoughts like these:

• I am not good enough.
• My clients won’t be happy with my work.
• Other people are better at doing the same job.

Actually, there is no such thing as “perfect,” as it is just a value judgment on your part. There is a big difference between doing a good job and perfect. A good job is based on what your client wants and needs. It is about listening to them and providing good value.

Perfect is all about judging yourself as not good enough. It is about you personally not feeling adequate, comparing yourself to others and seeing them as better.

I used to do this all the time. I didn’t think I needed to be perfect, but in fact I wanted to be accepted and admired by my peers. Thirty years later, I still enjoy being liked and appreciated but I don’t “need” it anymore to feel ok.

Now I get way more enjoyment from helping people and seeing them grow and transform. My focus is more on how I can be of service. I wish I could have been there when I was 30 because it has been a rocky road!

So, the cure for perfectionism is to focus on helping your clients. This is what your business is all about anyway!

One thing you have total control over are your own beliefs. You all have things you believe to be true and you make decisions based on those beliefs.

Those decisions affect your business. Your beliefs come from past experiences, modeling or childhood messages.

When you believe something to be true, in your world it is true and you will often  defend your truths and tell people what you think  as well as make decisions from that place.

Here are some examples of beliefs and how they can affect your business decisions. Limiting beliefs:

“I can’t trust anyone to do as good of a job as I.” If you believe that to be true, you will be a micro-manager or you may never hire anyone at all, and instead work long hours and be stressed.

“There is never enough time to do everything.”  If you operate from this belief you will always feel stressed, overworked and behind.

“Some people are wealthy and some are never going to attain wealth, no matter what.”  If you think that way, you might see yourself as never being able, and therefore you will unconsciously make poor money decisions.

Moving past limiting beliefs. New beliefs might be:

“I  trust that will find  good, reliable dedicated employees.”

“There is plenty of time to do everything that needs to be done. It is all a matter of how I manage it.”

“Anyone has the ability and opportunity to gain financial wealth. It is just a matter of learning the steps.”

Imagine the decisions you would make from each set of beliefs. Can you now see how your beliefs would affect your business decisions?

No one in their right mind would start a new business if they really knew what they would need to face in themselves. You just wanted to help people and get paid for it. Really simple and yet not so simple.

You have probably found yourself spending most of your time trying to figure out how to run your business and get more of those wonderful clients to help. It has probably pushed you right to your edge and more than once you have wondered if you should just quit!

I just watched this wonderful video of Bene Brown. Although she is a social worker and not talking about small business at all, some of her ideas totally relate!

You began your business of helping people for connection and wanting purpose and meaning. You wanted to make a difference.

When your business has struggled and not enough clients come through your door, you began to feel shame and not worthy. ( at least I did!)

A natural reaction to shame is to wanting to hide and not be seen. If you do that your business won’t grow and you will stay small and constricted. ( I could get an award for shame!)

In order to develop worthiness, it is necessary to be vulnerable, and know that being vulnerable is real and authentic! It takes courage to do that, but from that place, you will be able to stay tapped into to your original purpose of wanting to connect and help people. If you are busy hiding, that’s where your energy will be- hidden.

Once you are ok with being vulnerable it is way easier to be seen. And you know what? People trust people way more when they are real, authentic and vulnerable.

A very important part of marketing is “telling your own story.” If you stay hidden  no one can connect with you and you separate yourself from your clients. Your own story of struggle, pain and overcoming obstacles will allow people to see you.

Special- for women entrepreneurs- connect with other women, overcome your own tendency to want to  hide and learn how to tell your story and lead your business from that strong place.

I love my friend Michael Beck’s quote “People are attracted to you by who you are, rather than what you do…”

So, be real, authentic, vulnerable and make your business decisions from that place!