While building several businesses I did what I thought I needed to do to grow and scale. But I made some very costly mistakes. I mean, big bucks. I’m sharing these with you so you can avoid them.
Spending on FB Ads before I was ready.
“How else do you grow a business quickly” they said.
“It’s the only way to scale”, more advice.
Well, I bought into that thought way before I should have.
What was missing? You need to have a landing page that converts, an offer that you KNOW sells, and enough cash flow that you can afford to invest (because that’s what it is) in online ads. It’s going to take a lot of testing (and spending) to find ads with profitable ROI.
Don’t be in a rush!
Investing in employees when I didn’t need to.
I also thought I needed to hire employees. NOPE. While I knew I was drowning and needed help, what I actually needed was part-time contractors. Maybe even lots of them, but in the earlier stages, I did NOT need to be hiring. I jumped in way too early and hired 2 people – incurring taxes, full-time salaries and expenses long before I had to. What was I thinking?
Taking on other peoples’ goals as my own.
This is a big one for me. The frequently stated goal of most coaches is to reach that almighty 7 figures. So that became my mantra. I didn’t get there and became very discouraged and felt I was failing. And you know what a self-destructive, downward spiral that can create!
I spent even more money on coaches that were not a good fit. I did not spend the time I should have to step back and think about what I wanted for my life. It took me years, but I’m finally there now.
Give yourself permission to define your own success.
Spending way too much time on worry.
Don’t worry about the future. Or worry but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some random Tuesday.
Worry less about what might happen. If you are a worrier, translate worry into immediate actionable steps, even small ones. You will feel much better and will achieve something.
A fear of taking action.
Ah, perfectionism! What if it doesn’t work, what if I fail, what if I spend and lose a ton of money? Better wait until I have it all figured out. You know what? Your ducks are never in a row!
The universe responds to action. Not intentions. Not goals, or spreadsheets. You can’t figure out what will work, or not work until you do something.
You are a catalyst for changing reality itself. But only if you actually DO something.
As a general rule: Do More. Think Less.
Not knowing what you SHOULD be doing.
“There is no greater waste than to do with excellence that which shouldn’t be done at all.” I’m not sure who that quote is from, but been there, done that, many times.
Here’s the problem:
From where you’re currently standing, you don’t always know what the right things are you should do to get to your goals.
This means you’ll probably do a whole lot of wrong things.
That’s okay, so long as you pivot and adjust accordingly.
The key is to avoid mindless action that confuses motion with progress. The issue is if you focus on big goals instead of the carefully crafted steps that will get you there. You may never get there.
A corollary to this: is discipline over goals. I truly believe that!
Not giving myself permission
Permission to try and fail. Permission to get out of my own way, Permission to define my own success. Until you let yourself do whatever it is you are thinking about, it will never happen. This is a combination of manifestation and practicality. That first step is everything.
I hope you found this helpful and that I’m able to save you some growing pains!