Episode 48: The Hidden Growth Saboteurs

mindset
Product Business Growth Strategy

One of the most common questions I get is, "What should I do to start making money?" "How can I accelerate my sales?" "How can I get to the next level?"

What you need to do is not the focus here. This will be about what you need to stop doing. Why? Because we tend to do so much without adequately considering the consequences for our businesses. Here are three things you should quit if you want to achieve the progress you seek and alleviate the nagging sense that you aren't doing enough. 

#1: Stop staying stuck in fear

I'm finding myself in conversation with stuck people, and they're stuck because they're refusing to commit to the next step. If you're feeling stuck and fearful, it's because you're thinking of a myriad of things. You're thinking about the 10,000 things that are on your to-do list that you need to accomplish. 

So stop thinking about the 10,000 things, start thinking about the next step you need to take, and make that commitment. Make the commitment to take the next action step. Decide the next thing you need to do to move your business forward. Whatever the next thing is for you, make the first step and do it. 

Another way fear manifests itself is if we are focusing on something that is not true. Your brain does an excellent job of focusing on something that isn’t true. If you find yourself in this situation, below is the self-awareness model I use to get myself out of this rut that we sometimes experience as we're growing our business. 


…whenever we are experiencing fear, it's because we are focusing on something that is not true.


How to overcome fear: 

  1. Become aware. 

So the first thing you need to do if you're stuck in fear is become aware of the thought leading to your fear. Then ask yourself these questions. 

  • First, is this thought true? 
  • Secondly, is there proof that this thought is true? And then ask yourself what happens when you believe the thought. 
  • Thirdly, what action would you take if this thought was not there? 

Lastly, who would you be without this thought? 

This model works like magic. 

Let me give an example. Perhaps you are scared of growing and scaling your product biz because you may not have the capacity to fulfill the orders. If that’s the fear you have, can you definitely prove that thought to be true?

If you're currently making $10K a month, you know how to run a business based on what you're making $10K a month. But you're fearful that you cannot manage your business at $30K.

 Can you absolutely prove that? You cannot prove that thought because your current operating reality is at  $10K months. 

Then who would you be without that thought? You would be doing what you need to move forward to the 30K month. So because of that fear, you're stuck. So you're worried every single day. Am I going to be able to fulfill this order? 

So what happens? You end up playing small. You're not going to have a conversation with a buyer. You're not going to make the calls and try to get your product into more wholesale stores that will get you to 30K months. You're probably not going to show up like you would be because you're fearful that if you show up, people will buy. So because you don't show up, you don't get the 30K a month. 

And so, who would you be without that thought? You would be a person taking action. Otherwise, You're stuck. You're playing small. You're diminishing your power. 

Lastly, what's the first action you would take if that thought is not there? You would still continue showing up. You would do the research. You would take up your phone and call some wholesale stores or show up at vendor events if you want to place your product outside your eCommerce store. 

I hope this example helps you see the differences. When you're stuck in fear, you're not moving. But when you're not stuck in fear, you have momentum. You're committing to doing the very next thing. 

Most of you, my clients and potential clients, actually know the strategy. Often, you don't need to know more. You just need to commit to the next step. If the next step is to get expert-level support, commit to sending me a message or clicking the link and booking your call. If you know your strategy, commit to the next action of what's on your to-do list. 


Most of you, my clients and potential clients, actually know the strategy. Often, you don't need to know more. You just need to commit to the next step. If the next step is to get expert-level support, commit to sending me a message or clicking the link and booking your call.


Knowing and not doing is not knowing. The only way you can get a result is by taking action. It's okay for you to fail. Whenever you fail, you learn something else, and through that process you're running the race and repeating the drills. That's how you achieve mastery.. 

#2. Stop hopping from strategy to strategy

The second thing to stop is hopping from strategy to strategy or tactic to tactic, like shooting at everything under the sun to see what works. If you've worked with me, you know your plan; you have your customized framework. Execute it. We built your positioning, your marketing strategy, and your sales strategy. We built everything that will position you to get six-figure leaps yearly. Do that. 

The Brand Growth Framework:

To the person who hasn't gotten to work with me and is hearing me for the very first time, the reason you see the results that we as a team share out there and the results that my clients experience is because we have a framework. That framework is what we call the Brand Growth Framework. 

The framework is based on four steps: 

  • Phase I: Develop is your brand's secret sauce. 
  • Phase II: Build your brand obsession with your messaging and your wow factor and ensure that you can acquire customers organically. 
  • Phase III: Maximize your sales by teaching you the sales levers you need to pull to achieve consistent sales and revenue in your business.
  • Phase IV: Systematize your business by implementing the people, the processes, and the profit structures you need to grow and scale. 

As a bonus, we give you insider strategies if you ever want to get into retail. This framework is what has helped our clients make 6-figure leaps year over year. 

If you're hopping from strategy to strategy, commit to getting the support that will help you drive your business forward. Put yourself in a community that's going to help you execute that. The sauce is me and the community I've created. 

From our community, you will get the accountability that will enable you to succeed. 


…commit to getting the support that will help you drive your business forward. Put yourself in a community that's going to help you execute that. 


The levels of accountability

Level 1. Self

Self is the first level of accountability whenever we try to do something. It's always hard to keep yourself accountable, and that's the relevance of the second level.

Level 2. Coaching

Find a coach if you feel like you cannot get past the huddle you're facing. This is where you start having momentum. You move but are unsure if you're doing it right. Maybe you're not yet seeing the results and wonder why it is so hard? I've seen this happen, and it's also happened to me. You feel like there could be something else. What is missing here is the peer community to give your spirit some company.

Level 3. The peer community

When you have a peer community, you have people encouraging and showing you that you're not crazy. With this level of support, your journey will feel less lonely.

Get into a community that tells you the truth with unfiltered honesty. Sometimes we want to be told cute and nice things. That cute stuff is cute. Sometimes we just need to do the work. Sometimes there are no cute things. Get into a community where people will tell you like it is with no fluff or BS but from a place of love. It's so easy to stay in a place where you're feeling comfortable, but if somebody doesn't challenge your thinking and beliefs, nothing will happen. 


Get into a community where people will tell you like it is with no fluff or BS but from a place of love. It's so easy to stay in a place where you're feeling comfortable, but if somebody doesn't challenge your thinking and beliefs, nothing will happen. 


#3. Stop minimizing your goal

The last thing is to stop minimizing your goal when you don't achieve what you expect. We are visionaries before we discover what's required to build a business. We have a lot of excitement and energy, and we have brands we admire. But when you get into this game and realize, Oh snap, this is what's required, you shrink. 

And so my message today is this. Are you building your business based on what you really want? Or are you building your business based on what you think you can do? If you're building your business based on what you think you can do, you've minimized your genius, which is  impacting how you're showing up. 

We have to focus on what we really want. How would you show up if you focused on what you really wanted? Who would you become? What actions would you be taking? How would you be interpreting challenges in your business? How would you interpret this whole journey of business building? Would it be a sprint? Or would it be a marathon? Would you be enjoying the journey? Would you be finding joy through the journey? 


Are you building your business based on what you really want? Or are you building your business based on what you think you can do? If you're building your business based on what you think you can do, you've minimized your genius, impacting how you're showing up. We have to focus on what we really want.


I see this all the time. The first conversation I have with people is centered around what's your vision? Have you thought about what you want to create 12 months from today? I'm always told yes. I will give a hypothetical example. I want to do 80K. I'm like, Why? Because 80,000 is what I need to meet my bills. Now I'm like, let's shift this conversation to what you really want. And this is where I get answers like, I want to create a brand like Mielle Organics. I want to create a brand that generates $30K to $40K monthly.

The energy shifts. And I'm like, Okay, what does that look like? That means leaving my job, impacting my community, and creating a warehouse. And now the possibilities open up. But outside of the possibilities opening up, what becomes available to the person at the moment is realizing they have potential. And that's the thing you have to realize. Even though you haven’t achieved what you're expecting, you still have the potential. 

That's why it's crucial to get a canvas and print out your true goal. Look at that goal every single day. If it's a money goal, get a fake check, write that check to yourself, laminate that check, and pin it up. We have to anchor ourselves on what we really want because that pulls us forward and puts us in the energy and momentum of action and doing things. 

This will bring us back to center when we find ourselves in a situation where we're not moving. When it brings you back to the center, you ask yourself why you aren't moving. So you shift from blame to taking radical responsibility for what's happening in your life. Because whenever you are blaming something, you've relinquished your power. 


We have to anchor ourselves on what we really want because that pulls us forward and puts us in the energy and momentum of action and doing things. And also it brings us back to center when we find ourselves in a situation where we're not moving. 


This is an invitation for you if you've not worked with me. If you love the energy, the message, and the results that we often share and you resonate with everything, commit to the next step of booking the call and changing the trajectory of your 2022. 

It's easier than you think

Growing your business is easier than you think. It looks hard from the outside, but it's easier than you think if you know what you need to do. It's when you're guesstimating that you get tired and frustrated. But if you know your plan, it's just a matter of committing to the next step and deciding to navigate through the discomfort that comes with elevation. That's the price you'll pay if you choose to do something radically different. So you'll have to learn how to deal with the discomfort that comes with elevation. And that discomfort moves you to the next level, always. 


Growing your business is easier than you think. It looks hard from the outside, but it's easier than you think if you know what you need to do. It's when you're guesstimating that you get tired and frustrated. But if you know your plan, it's just a matter of committing to the next step and deciding to navigate through the discomfort that comes with elevation. 


Just to wrap up!

  • stop staying in fear and commit to deciding to take the next step. 
  • Stop hopping from strategy to strategy and decide to do what you're supposed to do until it works. Work the system until it works.
  • Stop minimizing your brilliance or minimizing your goal when you don't achieve what you're expecting. 
  • Commit to putting yourself in a community that will elevate your mindset, change your perspective, and shift your beliefs. 

Find out more!

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