Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” ~Steve Jobs

Don’t you love that quote? This is why I’m so passionate about working with and empowering entrepreneurs to get out of their own way and break free from limitations that hold them back from being the change. Those of us who have heard the call and said yes to its whisper are the ones courageous enough to leave our jobs, step away from the perception of security, risk falling and failing, and ultimately undergo huge personal transformation….all in service of that deep dream that lives inside.

But it takes courage to play at this level. Courage to keep going when those around you chide you for being so ‘crazy’ as to wanting to do it on your own. And more courage yet to stay strong when the cash flow is weak and you might be swimming in fear and doubt, or can’t find the way to take your business to the next level. And it often takes even bigger amounts of courage to step up and sell your services and ask for rates that you really deserve.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~Steve Jobs

Let me clarify what I mean by entrepreneurial courage. I define it as your ability to BOLDY express who you are in your business, sell your services, make decisions based on your strengths and gifts, and the willingness to go against the grain – to stand out and listen to your own inner voice and vision versus following along with what everyone else is doing.

And that takes guts, let me tell ya! If you are to be a successful business owner you must be a leader! This is where the courage comes in. As an employee, it is very likely that you were given work or told what to do. But when it’s your own business, you are responsible for creating all of it. While you may have a team, ultimately, the success or failure you experience is on your shoulders.

That’s why this entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart!

If you talk with anyone who has been on the path for a while, they’ll likely share with you the steps they took and what they bumped into to finally own their brilliance and build a business around it. You’ve likely heard my story….I had a master’s degree in counseling, practiced for 25 years, yet felt that was a liability as a business coach! I had coaching training and certification and coached and trained with some of the industries finest to integrate the business building, marketing, sales, branding, copywriting that I know today, but because I had been a therapist I still felt like it wasn’t enough, so I had a really hard time selling my services.

The journey for me to really decide to build my brand and my business on the fact that I am an expert in this mindset and inner game area was a painful one to be sure. Why? Because as I often say….“Your Brilliance Lives In Your Blind Spot.” So in my case all my mentors and business girlfriends could clearly see where my business positioning needed to be, but I, 1) didn’t value it, 2) couldn’t figure out how to market it, and 3) had no idea how to weave it through my business model. And that experience has lead me to the path I am on today, and formed the foundation for the Serving Without Selling program and all the work I do with clients.

The craziest part? Just as in life, very often the thing we struggle with the most is where our gifts are and what we are actually here to teach. So guess what I’m teaching now? Yeah! How to get that brilliance out of your blind spot and own your value! How to have the courage to let YOU show up in your business, and how to make money doing what you love, and are good at.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” ~Steve Jobs

But how do you get courage? How do you risk putting yourself out there when it’s new or it’s scary? The #1 thing – get support! Truly. The issue lies in that you can’t see what you can’t see.

That’s why it’s my theory that your brilliance lives in your blind spot. Here’s what happens when it’s living there:

• You can’t believe anyone would pay for it, so you can’t sell your services
• You can’t charge appropriately for it because it “comes so easy” to you
• You think everyone has it or can do it, so why do they need you?
• You can’t figure out how to make it a business that makes money

I have worked with loads of business owners who were not loving their businesses because they weren’t marketing and selling the thing they should have been. They were listening to what someone else told them they should do, ‘selling out’ on their dream or chickening out and just taking the easy money.

And there’s nothing wrong with doing things to get some cash in the door! But is it costing you? If you are working with people that are costing you energy, it’s not worth it! Sometime we just have to make choices based on revenue, but if you are to have a satisfying and fulfilling business, it has to weave YOU in it.

But what kind of support do you want? Not just someone who rubber stamps your ideas. No, find someone who will challenge you to show up BIGGER than you are currently comfortable with. Find someone who will call you on your ‘stuff’ when you start backing down, and someone who takes the time with you to discover what you should be marketing and selling based on your unique gifts and talents and values.

The next step to get more courage is to create an empowering environment. Reading Steve Jobs quotes are inspiring and stimulating. Reading the Enquirer not so much! Listen to fellow entrepreneurs who have blazed the trail to show you that it’s possible. You must keep as much positivity in your environment as you can as you make the transition from just having a business to being the kind of business owner who’s making a difference in the world. It’s a big shift, so set yourself up for success by having an environment that pulls you forward. This is where vision boards and inspiring books, goal setting or affirmations, and coaching work well.

And once you make the commitment to have a business you love, based on your gift and unique talents, it’s a whole lot more rewarding.

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ~Steve Jobs

I couldn’t have said it better. Thanks Steve and thank YOU my readers for showing up and doing the great work you do in the world.

Peace and blessings!

This may shock you…. There’s a “Nano-Second” in Time When Your Prospect Decides Whether or Not to Work With You…..And Their Answer…Is All In Your Head

It’s like you have them….and then they slip through your fingers. Let me tell you why.

The sales cycle for service based entrepreneurs takes a certain route.

Phase 1 is creating awareness of your business via networking, social media, blogging, writing articles, speaking for free, and building referral partnerships.

Phase 2 is bringing prospects in a little closer for a more intimate interaction with you. This might happen in an interview call you do with a colleague, or on your own teleclass. For a few of you, it might happen in a small-group presentation to an organization.

Or, phase 2 could include a free phone consultation with you–and it is this short, “sliver of time,” out of the entire sales trajectory, that carries within it your success or your failure.

Think about it. You’ve done all the prep work and you actually have an interested prospect on the phone with you.

And when they turn around and ask you how you work, what the process is like–you’re probably sailing along with that, too.

Then comes the death-knell. They ask you what your fees are.

And it is right in this precise moment that you can let that sale slip away.

But if they leave, it won’t be because your fees are too high, or your credentials are lacking.

It will be because there is a part of you (the mindset piece) that may not fully be in alignment with the thing you are offering. Sure…you can roll lower priced programs out all day, but try quoting the higher fees? Maybe you rock at this already, but if you are like most people…there is a little glitch! (Heck, even people who make $20k a month still suffer from this, so it’s not just a ‘start-up’ issue.)

Here are three reasons why you may be ‘going weak’ and backing down just a bit. (And don’t feel bad if you relate to these…I have done them all!)

1. You have not fully owned your value and understand just how much working with you will be life changing for them. It takes awhile to really land in a deep way just how valuable you are in the work you do. Many people struggle with this because there is a tendency to have the ‘brilliance in the blind spot’ problem, so while others may see the rock star you are…it may not come as powerfully to you. What to do? Get someone to work with you to discover just how amazing you are, ask clients for testimonials, and stop minimizing the work you do!

2. You are taking responsibility for their financial position. This is easy to do. You roll out your fees and your prospect launches into how they can’t afford it, or how things have been difficult because of the economy. So instead of coaching them to solutions, the ‘break down’ here is to feel guilty that you want to charge them so much. We have all done this and it doesn’t serve. People find money for things they value. Period. Feeling bad that your rates may make them uncomfortable does not serve them! Work on boundaries around this because when there is ‘skin in the game’ there are often better results.

3. You are not willing to let them go if they are not a good fit. The most powerful position to be in for the selling conversation is that of taking a stand for yourself, and NOT NEEDING them to become a client. This is critical. You aren’t here to serve everyone, even though you probably think you could! Find that sweet spot of who you love to work with, who can afford you, and then let the other folks be served by someone else.

Here’s what I know to be true…You can learn all the right techniques, from any famous sales guru–but if you don’t look at what’s transpiring between you and your prospect (and what’s happening in your head), none of that training will matter.

So next time you have a prospect in front of you, pay really close attention to what’s going on internally. Are you ‘care-taking’ them in any way? Feeling bad asking them to invest in themselves? The first step in changing anything is awareness, so be noticing what you are doing, how you are feeling, and then you can make the necessary changes. Because when you can master the art of getting clients to say yes, you have shifted to a much better level in your business!