Do you remember back in 2020?
We were knee deep in the first pangs of COVID-19. People were scared and yet hopeful too. We were all going to quarantine for a few weeks and then life would go back to normal.
Remember that?
History had already told me that wouldn't be the case though. And, so I decided to do something different. I decided I would learn how to build a successful online business and launch one.
Well when you're first trying to start a new business online there are a gazillion things you have to learn. And it all seems so complicated and overwhelming. But after running my new company- Building Visibility online for almost 2 years now, there are 5 things I've learned so far that I know are key to my success.
1. Apply What You Learn
So the first thing that I've learned is that it's important to take action on the things you learn as soon as possible; to apply it to your life or business right away.
How many times have you gone to like a webinar or a seminar or a conference and you learned some really good stuff and you wrote it down and you took notes and then that was the end of it?
Dr. Melissa Brown came up with this saying; "shelf-help books." It's how she describes all those self-help books people buy and never do anything with. They just sit on their bookshelf helping it look pretty. It doesn't help them.
The same thing happens when we don't take action on the things we've learned.
We have it all up in our heads exactly what we're going to do. We know how great the information was. But, we don't do anything with it. And, then over time, we simply forget it. We don't get the benefit of what we learned.
But if you put it into action, if you start doing it, applying what you learned. It really gets in and it becomes more and more something you can do and hold on to, and you don't forget it.
It's like, with martial arts, they make you do the same technique over and over and over and over again. Remember the "Karate Kid" movie? You do the same thing until you can do it in your sleep. It becomes ingrained in your muscle memory. So when it's time to do it you know exactly how. You just do it.
So that's lesson number one. . . apply what you've learned. Don't let it be shelf-help.
2. Take Consistent Action
If you follow me regularly, or you're on my email list, you know this one is still a work in progress for me.
But, you'll also know I've gotten so much better, so much better. My emails are more consistent. My blogging is more consistent. I've co-authored a book. I've written a new book.
I've created a self-study course. I do weekly Facebook Lives. I run a weekly mastermind. I coach folks. I do talks. And I'm getting better daily. . .
And, that's the point.
When I first started it was all so much. I felt like I had to do so much. It all had to be this big production. Like, I want to write a book, but that means I'm going to need all of these words, thousands of words. I want to create a course which means I have to write more words and find images and make videos. It all felt overwhelming.
But, I've learned a lot since then. Now, I write every day. Just a little bit every day, about an hour or so. Sometimes more when I'm in the flow. But it builds up. I write in 20 minute blocks every day and it's giving me blog posts. It's giving me courses, it's giving me emails. It's giving me time to work on copy for my blog and for salesletters and more just because I'm learning finally to be consistent with that one thing.
And there's an added benefit . . . I've rekindled my love of writing!
What could consistency do for your business?
One thing that helps tremendously with consistency is systems and habits. You can learn a whole lot about building systems that help you run your business better from the Six-Figure Systems membership offered by Cindy Bidar.
3. Ditch Perfectionism
You have to learn to let go of the idea that something has to be perfect before you can release it. You have to get to the point when you realize a thing is "good enough." Because if you're trying to be perfect, you're not going to get anything done. You're going to stagnate.
We're not perfect. Well, I'm not. So I had to learn to get comfortable with taking imperfect action.
I discovered that consistent small steps, even imperfect ones was good enough to keep moving me forward and growing my business.
When you own that you're not perfect, that you're not going to be perfect then you're free to just do the best you can. To simply take your time, taking small steps going in the direction you want, and doing the very best you can at that moment. And, you're going to realize that's good enough.
Because when you keep trying to make it perfect, then nothing happens.
Have you ever noticed successful businesses, whether on or offline never wait until their product or service is perfect before they put it out there?
They never wait until it's perfect. They put stuff out there and then they fix it. Think about it, how many patches, if you had to fix some bug or glitch on your windows computer software? And, they're not alone, all successful companies do this. They put out what works and then they make it better over time.
So take your time. Take action. Take consistent action and just let it be massive Imperfect action. As one of my friends, Jennifer Burke says "Massive imperfect action works because you're constantly taking action."
Ditching perfectionism removes stagination in your business and lets you keep moving forward.
4. Be Your Authentic Self
Just be YOU. Be your authentic self in everything you do. Because whether you're trying to grow a business, or simply live your best life, you have enough on your plate without trying to be somebody else to boot.
Right now, there is so much to learn. You're trying to master different techniques and strategies for
running your business, finding and converting leads, developing content for your community and so much more. And through it all you're trying to find the courage to be seen; to get out there and be visible. Why make it harder by trying to be someone you're not?
Be yourself, be who you are. Because the more you can be who you are, the easier it is for you to actually get whatever it is you want to do . . . done.
Being authentically you makes it easier to keep showing up and to let yourself be seen. For example I do Facebook Lives every week now. And, yet I know if I had to be someone else doing it, they wouldn't get done.
Because I can go on Facebook and just be myself and simply talk with my people it's okay. It's easy. I'm just sharing myself with the people that resonate with me and my message. They show up, they watch the replays, they comment . . . otherwise what's the point?
If you want to build a business you love, letting people see you, the real you is the beginning of everything. That's how you begin to attract your ideal people. The folks you love to work with.
5. Be Grateful For Everything
Be grateful for everything. Life is a gift. Every new opportunity is a gift.
Everything that happens in your life is happening for you. It's happening so you can learn to get better and better and better at the things you're doing and want to do.
Learning to be grateful for everything, even the snapfus helps you to open your heart so you can give and receive more divine love. And of course, all of the things that come with that divine love.
All of the good, because all of our good in every form, comes from the source, whatever you want to call that. It's not based on any specific one thing you're doing, it's all of your life and how you're living it and what you're doing with it.
The more you are able to live in gratitude, the more you get back out of life.
So, these are the five things that I know for sure. After running my online business, Building Visibility, these are the five things that I have learned that have made a huge difference for me.
And, I know that if you try practicing these 5 things in your own life and business you're going to see a major shift. You're going to see a change for the better too.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am glad I had the opportunity to share it with you. Now it's up to you. Tak the parts that resonate with you and put it to good use.
See you next time!
