CwL Ep92: Workshop Replay: How to move your business forward in 2022!

Hey, it’s Lisa Corduff. Welcome to the podcast where you can expect inspiring, raw, energising, and transformative conversations with people on the path of personal evolution. I’m here to really live my life. And if you are too, these conversations are just for you. I’m really glad you’re here. Enjoy.

Hey. Something a little different for you today on the podcast. I actually ran a workshop last week. And we had such amazing feedback from it, that we thought we would pop it on the podcast for anyone who might have missed it. And I totally get it sometimes rocking up to a Zoom or being able to see something in real time is kind of hard. So here it is for you. It’s my workshop all about how to keep things moving in 2022, no matter what gets thrown at us. And I created it specifically for women like me who are moving their own things forward. So their own business. Maybe you’re a solopreneur, or a coach, or an expert, or you run online courses like I do. Anything where you are responsible for the energy and Momentum in your business.

I know what it’s like to be thrown off course. A lot of the things that I learned in how that helped me cope through lockdowns before the actual end when I was over it and depleted as the next person, but especially 2020 and early 2021 were the years of living with Nick who was in the recovery stages for his alcohol dependence.

And there are big highs and lows. There’s a period of stability followed by big crash and chaos. And what I’ve realised is that some of the things that I learned and implemented in my business and in my life throughout those years are helpful to people who haven’t necessarily normalised or experienced ongoing levels of uncertainty that this pandemic has shown us. So I really hope it’s helpful. I have had messages from women saying they’ve already implemented things. I’ve had a lot of people saying it’s really refreshing to hear this side of the story. And I think that if you follow along and I’m helpful to you in other ways, but with mindset stuff and all that kind of thing, and you also run your own business, then it might be really interesting for you to listen to this and grab some little gems for yourself to help you move forward.

And also a reminder that the doors to our programme Momentum, which is a three month container for women in business who are really looking to get intentional and really move things forward in big ways can join. The doors close Friday. So you don’t have very long may make sure that you go and check it out. Because what we saw last time was when we ran it at the end of 2021, that women who had been putting things, off or things felt too hard, or they’d been stuck in procrastination, or they just felt like the year was going to end and they wouldn’t have done what they wanted to get done, achieved a ridiculous amount.

And I am not about hustle, hustle, hustle all the freaking way. I’m not about that at all. I am all about us operating as healthy, well women who get to also have fun, and play, and experience pleasure in their lives. So this experience isn’t like a normal structured programme experience. It’s about you and your business, and assisting you to get what needs to get done for you. It’s not prescriptive. This is all about you. It’s probably the most access to me that you can get and my team who are also on board to bring their expertise to you so that whatever blocks are in the way of you making 2022 different, better. Actually get some runs on the board early. We’re here for you. And we can’t wait to meet. Anyway, to the workshop. I hope you really enjoy it, and make sure to check out Momentum if it’s calling you. See you soon.

So we’re going to move your business forward. And it doesn’t matter what gets thrown at you because we’re going to have solid foundations in 2022. So before I jump right into all of the stuff, I’d like to acknowledge the Yalukit Willam Clan of the Boon Wurrung Tribe who are the traditional owners of the land in which I live and work and am delivering you this training. I acknowledge their enduring relationship with the land and pay deep respect to their elders past and present.

All right. I mean, you hear it in your head, don’t you right now? I hope you do. We’ve been through a lot. Even January might have felt full onto you. Even this last week of February might have felt full onto you. But for sure if you’ve been in business, there have been certain challenges the last few years.

So right now, even just in yourself, we need to shake it off. Because we don’t want to be carrying all of this stuff through in 2022. It’s time to draw a line in the sand. If you have been looking one, let’s make it now. This is your line in the sand moment. There have been some very, very funky energies around. So just give yourself permission. I can’t see you. No one else can see you right now. Literally in your body shake off. Those beautiful physical signals, our body loves them. It loves knowing.

So let me check in on your homework. Did everyone get that email? You might have skimmed over it. It’s okay. You might not have done this task. I can actually see the chat box. So I want you to write in there if you did this homework, which was for anyone who didn’t see that email was about … so I’m not a big fan of failure, the language of failure, the word failure, especially in business. Because it kind of denies that we’re basically learning on the fly the whole time. Each new level we read each is a chance to learn something new, and we can label things failures. I mean, sometimes we don’t get the results that we want for sure. But are you going to call yourself a failure, or are you going to look for the lessons in that? Business is so much easier if you just make that one simple shift. That’s where we grow. We have to be on the lookout for the lessons all the time.

So did anyone do that homework? Have they reframed a failure into a lesson? “Are they, your slides are cutting off on the right hand side? Or is it your screen?” I don’t know. Is everyone else seeing it? Okay. Hopefully everyone can see that and it’s working. “That’s better.” Okay. All right. Yay. It’s working now. Perfect. Thank you for saying that, instead of me feeling awkward and you not seeing the whole thing.

“Not being consistent in tracking time when working for a client.” Okay. So that’s a lesson, right? When we’re feeling like we might not be getting paid what we’re worth or projects are blowing out, that’s on us to look for, “Where do I need to create more boundaries for myself? Where do I need to ask for more next time? What do I need to build into my quotes for people so that this is a fair exchange.”

Tanya said, “I need to ask for business rather than hope.” Tanya, we’ve got some good stuff coming for you then. Yes, this is essential. We do not ask for the sale often enough. I’m actually going to be talking about that. Didn’t see the whole, that’s okay, Jackie. “Didn’t order my stock in early enough. Didn’t do enough online marketing through Facebook and insta. Not being proactive enough.” Okay. So Nicole, brilliant to go okay, literally none of that is you failing. It’s you learning the lessons. And I’m really pleased you’re here. I’m pleased is to see all of this stuff. Because the way that we talk to ourselves about the way that we are doing business plays a really big part in the energy that we are bringing to our business. And I’m going to be talking about this a little bit more. Actually really, really matters. So well done on identifying these things and then taking the lessons from them so you don’t do the same in 2022.

“Not trusting yourself.” Yup, been there. Giving my all is not always what’s best for our customers, your business, or you. Being burnt out is not cool or fun for anyone. Okay. I don’t want to go through all of these. Strict with time and organisations. Say no, be selective with who you work with. Brilliant. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. I’m loving this stuff, doing too much for free. Yes. Charge for your services. Okay. All right. Failed collaboration reframed into an opportunity to practise discernment what I say yes to and being clear on what the terms of the collaboration are upfront.

Totally. 100% you guys. Elsa, I have been reacting in business. Yeah. Systems and organisation and everything, and a constant work in progress in terms of your business will need new ones, the next level you get to.

Okay. I am going to keep going. I am really proud of you guys. Thank you for sharing that. I wanted us to start with that because it’s not all the time that we remind ourselves that we’re doing okay. And I think it’s so important that we do. In fact, I’m going to make you do that in a second. But let me just say that today, here’s what we’re going to be doing. Three practical strategies that I’m using for the first time. Implementing the clarity, productivity, and Momentum. Three key business questions to focus on right now to set you up to give you the foundations for a really good 2022, and that will ground you all the way through this year. Right? Because this is all about not getting knocked off course. Our business requires certain things from us, and we’ll be talking about that.

And also, I just thought it was really important to flag and for you to start thinking about the changing nature of your customer. Is that better? I don’t know what is happening here. Anyway, we’ll get there. Oops. And now it’s probably gone again. So let’s just move that back. Right, hopefully that is all working. All good. Okay. So that’s what we’re covering today. Yes. The changing nature of your customer and the best ways to connect online, which is where I think there’s an huge opportunity for all of us.

Okay. Next we have, the pat on the back for you. Can I just say that I saw a quote the other day or some sort of stat that said most businesses don’t survive the first 18 months? What? Something like 80 to 90%. So I just wanted to say especially for those of you who’ve been doing this for a while, and also for those of you who are taking a big leap at this quite extraordinary time in human history, you’ve survived. You are really doing it. You have a commitment to your own growth. That’s why you’re here right now. You’re ready to learn. And, I think you need to give yourself a pat on the back. Okay? I’m just going to say that you get to do that anytime actually. I think as female business owners, just going to put this out there. We are notoriously hard on ourselves. Have you noticed this?

I remember I was at a mastermind event in New York, and Jonathan Fields was there. You know the guy from Good Life Project? And I stuck my hand up and I asked him a question at the end of his presentation. And he goes, “Hello Lisa, you’re Australian. Are you?” And I’m not too sure where you guys are dialling in from today, but I know there’d be a big Aussie contingent. And he’s like, “Oh my God, your question is just laced with tall poppy syndrome.” And I was like, “What do you mean?” And he said, “You don’t even realise it. You’re so self-deprecating. You always just think you could be doing a better job. You don’t stop to celebrate your successes or do anything like that.” Because you guys actually celebrate the underdog, not the successful people, and it’s in us. And I’ve really worked out over the years that if you are going to make it in business, especially here in Australia, you have to find ways to celebrate yourself.

And I do just want to say that, if you are doing something that’s pretty cool, and you can’t even recognise it for yourself. And to me, I think being brave enough and bold enough to start your own business is pretty awesome. Then it’s a disservice to other women, and it’s a disservice if you’re a parent to your children for you not to just stop and appreciate yourself, and celebrate yourself every now and again, I think we have to get better at this. I think it’s important to model what it looks like to appreciate yourself and your efforts. If you want to just go ahead in the chat box, and just bite the bullet, and celebrate something about yourself to date in business, I bet you’re just sitting there going, “I couldn’t. I couldn’t possibly. I look like [inaudible 00:15:55] I’m a showoff.” It’s hard work, what most of us do. So I think it would be amazing for you to actually just stop and celebrate. Fiona, didn’t mean to make you cry. But this stuff really, really matters.

It really does. “Help so many moms.” The sleep that they need. Yes. Well done. Good Fiona. I love the feels too. Oh my gosh. You guys are amazing. Change career after 27 years? Okay. See look at this, already are you not feeling different and better We need to come together as groups, more often we really need to connect. Anyway, let’s keep going. There might be people here who’ve got no idea who I am. Literally going to try and tell you all the things in one slide. So just a really quick background, because we’re here for other things. But I don’t even know how to describe myself these days, but I started my business journey back in 2012 when I launched a blog. It was very ugly because I designed it, and a Facebook page, and I just started sharing recipes. I had two kids at that stage. A third one came in 2014. And her arrival meant that I was like, “Okay. I think I need to actually make some money from this thing or else I’m going to need to go back to work in a year’s time.”

We were living interstate away from everybody else. My husband was an aerospace engineer. So we were kind of going where the work is in a very niche industry. And I didn’t want that. I thought there’s an opportunity here for us to create something where we can choose to live wherever we want. So I launched a programme called Small Steps to Wholefoods, and that first launch made $35,000. I literally had no idea what I was doing. 500 people joined it from an email list of about 500. If you are at the early stages of your business, it’s such an amazing time to get creating and build really great connections with the people who are attracted to your message. It was a brilliant stage of business.

And since then, I’ve launched memberships, four week courses, eight week courses, coaching programmes, business masterminds. You can see me down there with other female business owners who are on the Gold Coast. Denise Duffield-Thomas was our guest at that retreat. There’s me on the couch during 260 odd days of lockdown over the last two years. I am from Melbourne. I do not look like that posed picture working. I have three amazing children. I separated from my husband, who I loved dearly in 2019. And he passed away in September of that year. So I parent on my own. I have a celebrity crush on Jimmy Fallon. I’m not ashamed to say that. If I need to feel better, I just watch clips of Jimmy Fallon. It’s not complicated.

I’m proud of what I’ve created. And I am honestly blown away by the level of personal growth that has accompanied my business journey. My business supports our family. It pays other people’s wages, and we do really cool work in the world. And I’m excited about 2022, but I’ve needed to make some big changes to myself in order to be able to lead us in 2022.

So everything that I share with you, I share that stuff. It has been tumultuous. It’s all tried and tested by someone who definitely didn’t create a business teaching other business coaches how to coach other coaches. That’s not the space that I’ve come from. I grew this business amongst babies and toddlers, a big interstate move, a marriage breakdown, solo parenting, big time grief. A pandemic. I mean can we, yeah. It’s been a big time. And yet, the business has continued, and I’m looking forward to sharing more of that with you. And I think it’s also for people who followed me and if you are here and you’re one of those people who’s followed me, I think that’s always why people are like, “How is she doing this?” And I love being open and transparent with other women trying to build businesses, because I just don’t like the smoke in mirrors. I think that it’s better if we’re all honest about the fact, it can be very challenging, and there’s things that we can do to help ourselves. So I’m really glad you’re here for that.

[Riley 00:21:02], don’t make me cry right there. If anyone ever asks me what my number one thing is to get through bumpy times and keep a business going, it’s get help. You are not a unicorn. I’m not a unicorn. We aren’t machines. We’re not the Energiser bunny who has endless energy. The days of doing all of that hustle, that’s so over. I mean you guys, we cannot be still living in that mindset that we have endless energy. As the business owner, it’s really important to get clear on what you shouldn’t be doing anymore in business, and even in your life. Because for your business to thrive, you need to be well, and happy, and supported.

I can remember when after we separated, my husband moved into a sober house. He was an alcoholic, and he moved into a sober house for six months. And I found myself after a really quite traumatic time then alone with the three kids and having to keep moving with the business. And I had some great support in the business, but it was home that needed to feel good in order for me to feel good. And I remember sharing on socials that I’d hired a housekeeper. And people said to me, “You’ve just become inaccessible.” And I was like, “What? What do you mean? I’m sharing this so you know and we can be totally clear about that if you see me with space to do this stuff with my kids or to do this stuff in a business, that it’s because I have to pay for help in order to be able to make that happen. It’s like a necessity for life.” And I wasn’t available at that stage for more burnout. I was already pretty burnt out.

So I really don’t want you to dismiss this idea. I remember speaking to the amazing Jules at the Visibility Co who are a great organisation, great company doing amazing things, helping women with their visibility blocks. And she said that she had found a laundry service where she literally just puts out her laundry on her step. They come and collect it, and then they deliver it back to her washed, and folded, and ironed. And she’s like, “It’s literally the best money I spend each week because that’s hours of my week that I don’t have to spend in laundry.” I share that because it’s actually not a huge expense to her, but it makes a really big difference to how she can show up for her business. So there’s always options. Right?

And can we just also, I just want to say I get a little bit tired of seeing people thinking that they can just follow some sort of formula, and there will be perfection in their business, and all of that sort of thing. Because everyone’s different, right? So I’m going to share things today that some will land and some just won’t. And that’s okay. You’re allowed to be discerning. You’re allowed to not take everything on board. My way doesn’t have to be your way, but props on being here to see if you can find something new. I love attending things like this. If I take one thing away, it’s been worth my time. Because the spinoff effects and the change that can happen off the back of just one little thing are huge. So you’re the best judge of what feels right to you. Okay?

I really want you to know that you can do business your way. My dream working day, probably very different to your dream working day. So don’t follow the prescriptive ways of doing things that work for other people. You’re unique. Get out of comparison with other people. It will destroy the fun of business. And just collect ideas that feel good. Okay?

Now when I say that, of course there are fundamental business principles that have to be dialled in, and I’m going to be sharing some simple questions that I come back to time and time again. But the way you work, what gets you inspired and into momentum is unique to you. I mean, anyone here who’s done human design will know that. Anyone here who has children and looks at them and just thinks, “Oh my God, they’re so different. And that one just sits down and does their homework. And that one, it’s a struggle every single week. Or this one just picks things up after themselves. They actually like a clear space. Whereas this one, do they even see it?” We’re the same. Okay?

But there is a truth. And sometimes I think that whole New Year’s resolutions and all that sort of stuff, if you’ve done my Ready For Change programme, if you’ve done any of my behaviour change programmes, you’ll be aware of the brain-based reasons why it can be really tough to change habits. And I do think that it comes back to that being hard on ourselves, right? If you don’t understand how to build habits, I’m just going to give you a few really simple tricks. Just don’t be hard on yourself for not sticking to them. Your brain actually really doesn’t like it. 90, 95% of what you do is habitual. Same with your business. And when you know things have to be done differently and you don’t do them, it’s not a sign to be hard on yourself. It’s just a sign to strip back and go a little bit smaller with the expectations of these new habits so you can actually build them in. Okay? I think people are so hard on themselves.

So just really, really simply, this is a whole thing unto itself. I’m sure you’re aware. And there’s some of you here who probably teach this stuff too. When it comes to successfully creating new habits, make the changes small and really achievable. When I was thinking about what I wanted, I’m going to share the habits that I’ve built in this year. I was like, “They’ve got to be achievable because I actually want them to be a part of my routine. So I’m not going to set myself a task of one hour of journaling every day.” You know? No, that’s not going to happen. Because I understand my brain. It’ll just go, “No, no. Too hard.” And run the other way.

I think it’s also really great when you can build habits into your existing routines so you know, you already open your laptop to work. So what’s going to be the first thing that pops up when your laptop opens? If one of your habits is to repeat a daily affirmation or something like that, well then do it on your screensaver. Build it in. Build that stuff in so everywhere you look, it’s there. Don’t try and force yourself into something completely new. And definitely don’t create a million new habits at once.

And it’s so funny, my kids heard about, my boyfriend’s kid came doing a sugar free February. And my kids were like, “We should do that. That would be so good to do.” And I said, “Okay, what sort of sugar?” And they’re like, “Well all sugar.” And I said, “Really? So if I make apple crumble, you have apple crumble this month?” “Oh no, we need apple crumble.” “What about if you go to Omar’s house, what about if she’s made some cookies?” “Oh no, we would definitely need to have the cookies.” So I was like okay, so they will just not do sugar free February if it’s absolutely every type of sugar.

So what we decided on was no store bought lollies or ice creams. And can you see how that is so much more achievable? They’re like, “We can’t. We can’t because we’re not doing that.” But my daughter made chocolate chip cookies for their lunch boxes this week. Have the cookie, otherwise a small habit is better than creating something massive for yourself that you can’t achieve. Okay?

So before I go into the habits, I do just want to be clear about something. You’re not your business. Sounds pretty reasonable, but I didn’t get that for a very long time. Your business is actually a separate entity to you, but it requires things from you. Your energy inside that business is so important.

But what I really want you to be thinking about, and this is what I had to really zero in on this year, was who I needed to be for my business in 2022, and then build habits that support that. So I really do think this is why over the years of all the ups and downs, I was actually able to keep the business rolling, because I could zero in on what does the business need me to be right now? And it means it’s okay for you not to be shiny every single day. Sometimes, my business needed me to be really bold. Over the years I’ve needed to be like, “I don’t know if I feel comfortable doing this or if I really can, or would anyone even pay that.” Those sorts of moments. And then sometimes, my business needed me to be just like, “Calm the farm Lisa. Your ideas and your enthusiasm for wanting to teach all the people all the things is actually destroying success. It’s creating havoc for a team. It’s confusing to audience. What the business needs is calm and focus. Let’s just do this one thing.”

Can you see that? What we need to bring to our business can change over time. It’s a really important question for you to sink into. And in 2020, my business needs … actually meant to say 2022, quite obviously. It needs for me, this is what I am going to be bringing, the energy that I want to bring to the business this year is clarity. A bit of creativity, because we are hoping to launch something new. And inspired energy. So I’ve chosen habits that will help me be who I need to be for the business. Does that make sense? So get clear on who your business needs you to be, and then build some habits in and around that. So these are three things that I’m doing, and they’re really, really so simple. And some of you might be like, “I’ve been doing that for years.” But I just thought I’d share what’s working for me.

The first one I call square away the day. So this is absolutely to help with clarity. And it’s because I want to be clear about what happened that day. And then I want to have a good sleep, and I want to grab the lessons as I go. Because you’re sort of in it, in it, in it, in it, in it, and you’re not stopping. This gives me the chance to go, I just ask myself for things. What worked well today? So I’m like, “More of that please.” What felt like it was sticky? What didn’t work so well today. And then anything that kind of has to come off the back of that. “That didn’t work.”

So where do I need to focus my energy and attention? Where do I need to take some personal responsibility? All of those sorts of things? What lessons did I learn today? Always open for the lessons. And this is not also just work. This is my life with my kids, all of that sort of stuff. And it doesn’t take long. I’m not doing this for more than 10 or 15 minutes.

And then I always ask myself, “Is there anything else?” And that’s because I think a really powerful question is always what am I not seeing here? And it just opens up a different level of inquiry. So what worked well today? What didn’t work so well? What lessons did I learn? Anything else? Sometimes in anything else, it might be something that I’m really grateful for. Sometimes it’s a celebration. Like Lisa, “Stop and see this. This was a moment. Even although it felt hard, or even although it might have passed you by, hey, did you notice that?” And you know what it’s like also being in business sometimes. You feel like why am I doing this some days? It can feel tricky. There’s a lot to come up against. So I always sort of think in that anything else, what’s been coming up lately is at least you’re in the ring. You’re in the ring and you’re learning the lessons. Yes, we got punched today, but we’ll be stronger for that next time.

So can you see how this squaring away the day just helps me with clarity? I don’t make it a big deal. I don’t make it a bad thing if I miss a day. I just do it again. And I’ve just got a book next to my bed that I write in. It’s my square away the day. I also think looking back on this stuff can help at the end of a year, at the end of a quarter to see what we’ve come through.

Another one that I’m doing is six things. So I love a list. Even although we use monday.com as our project management tool, which I love to see my tasks in there. I love Monday because it’s colourful and it helps my brain. But I don’t know where I saw this idea of the six things. I don’t know why six is a good number, but it really just helps me. So I don’t put anything more than six things on my list. If I get through all those things, I can do more. But what I’ve realised is I can action six things.

If I’m also honest about the time that it takes, so I might put one task there and know that’s a big, chunky one. That’s a chunky task right there. So then I’ll have to think, “Okay, well the others just have to be small. And do I want to them out of the way. Or do I need to get my big chunky tasks done?” The whole eating frogs thing. But remember that I’m all about moving things forward. So these tasks always have to help me be effective and clear with myself. So this helps with the clarity thing again. And I can also factor in creative time. I can prioritise a creative task, a think outside the box.

So one of my six things might be go for a walk and listen to music, because I don’t know. It’s my most creative, downloadable space is walking, listening to music. Just tapping into just a different level of consciousness, and things just drop, drop, drop. A shower can be my most creative time of the day.

But this just helps me, you know that feeling of you just open up and you just see everything that needs to get done and you just start, blah, blah, blah, blah? If I just write down my six things, I have a better day, I feel clearer. And I for sure lock down all those lockdowns. I created some bad habits around scrolling and checking my phone. Did anyone else tell me I’m not alone with this. But I’ve just found myself so bored with social media, but I’m so also quite in the habit of it. We say we’re addicted. Our habitual brain is just like here, we’re just going this way. We’re doing this over, and over, and over again.

So for me, I’ve just started to, yes okay. You’re saying yes. I mean, I’m so bored with it. So why am I still doing it? And if I want to be creative and bring inspired energy to my business, is social media and scrolling that what I want to be doing? No. No, it’s absolutely not. It’s an essential part of me being an online business owner is to be present and socials. But I really need to draw a line in the sand and under some of those habits. And I also know my brain. So I’m bringing in the big guns. There’s so many apps. If you know apps that are helpful to you, feel free to share them with each other in the chat. But just like the apps limit thing on my phone. And you suddenly see the app just go dark. You can’t deal with that anymore. No, no, no. And you can override it if you want, and that’s where I come in too then say this is not going to be overwritten. And what I’ve noticed is it’s just making me very, very conscious to when I want to use that and how I want to use it.

If I’m using Facebook and I’ve only got 20 minutes, I’m going into my groups. And obviously when we’ve got programmes open, that can change. But right now, that’s enough for me to check what’s going on in my one main programme and just have a little scroll. It’s an unusual person who has control over their tech habits, especially after the last two years. Can I just say? So it’s a big part of me. This is what thinking who do I need to be for my business this year? Is it helpful? I mean, I know if you’re also growing a business online, you can get stuck in the comparison vortex in online. And we absolutely don’t want that for you. So that’s something that I’ve implemented this year. I’m being much more disciplined with myself and super, super helpful.

So I guess the question that I had for you and you can go and think about is who do you need to be for your business this year? Do you need to be organised? Do you need to be visible? Do you need to be brave? Which habits can you build in that might support those things? And as I make it simple, plan for the week by a Monday morning, and then build in some sort of level of accountability for yourself. Maybe it’s if you thinking, “Yeah, I actually need to get myself out there this year. I need to be more seen.” So commit to connecting with your audience three times per week. If you’re building your business on LinkedIn, how are you connecting with people there? If you work with people one-on-one, are you reaching out and having little conversations people if they DM you? Are you showing up on social media if you’re building your business via socials. What can you commit to that you can build a habit around?

And then I think we forget that who we are in our lives is who we bring to our businesses, right? So if you need to make some big, brave, bold moves this year, if you need to really step out of your comfort zone, how can you be doing that in your real life? Maybe do something you’ve never done before each quarter. Build in something like that. Each quarter, I’m going to do something that really, really stretches me. And I’m not too sure if I can do. That for me might be the moonlight kayaking that I am doing on Saturday night, which I don’t fully understand. But this is the thing. It’s like are you building a life that is aligned to who you need to be for your business? Want to be braver? Do stuff that scares you in your real life. Bring that energy to your business.

Remember. Really, really little things can create massive changes. I know it’s cliche, but it’s bloody true. All right? Start small and achievable so you can create Momentum, simple of the better with these habits. And back up who you need to be for your business this year with daily habits that support you. Stop looking around at everybody else. Tune in to yourself, do whatever works for you. Okay?

Now I just wanted to talk about space. I think this is a hugely underrated thing. And when I talk about space, and I’m actually going to be detailing this more in a workshop on Monday. I’m talking about I mean your physical space, your environment, your digital space, your energy.

So I just want to give you a little story here to just explain what I’m talking about. And that is the difference that I saw for myself and for my children when it was just the four of us as opposed to the five of us. And I’m sure you guys all know someone who you can really feel their energy in the room. So living with my husband, it was quite chaotic. So he was in recovery. So there were periods of sobriety, and there was a lot of routine, and discipline involved in that. And then there was relapse, and it was all just poof, poof, poof everywhere. He was struggling with his mental health. So there was a huge difference that happened in our household when he wasn’t there.

But I had to actually build in ways to cope with that energy even while he was around to be able to maintain mine. And we’re going to talk a little bit about that, about this now. For sure the chaos that existed when he was around just disappeared. Karma children. Karma me. I am very protective our space and the energy in our space these days, because I can see the difference that it made. I can also see how hard I worked for years, and years, and years to maintain my energy.

I mean, if you guys haven’t done my mood shift training, I really, really, really recommend that. Because we say change is the energy in the room because we literally vibrate and we literally give off a frequency. And as business owners, we need to be responsible for that, right? You need to be responsible for the energy you bring to your workspace, even if it’s not ideal. I used to start my day with a walk outside. I used to literally get up before everyone was awake and leave the house. So I got to set my energy instead of rolling over and going, “Okay, this is what we’re dealing with today.”

I still will go to a cafe for the creative juices to float, or just that feeling of here I am doing my own business. I can work from wherever I want. It just helps me tap into that energy that raises my frequency.

I put music on. Hello. I just have this next to me. Because it matters to me the energy that I’m bringing to my work. Music can shift it like that. It can set the tone for the day. I make sure that my workspace here by a Sunday night is clutter free so that I can start the week with a clear energy and a clear space. And I know there’s a lot of oils people around, but I choose what I’m going to be rolling on me. I choose what I want to smell. This is a whole thing.

I just want you to know that it might not be ideal, your space. Lockdown life, toddlers, maybe your partner is working at home too. This is your job. It will change how you feel work, and it’s in your control. Okay? No matter what’s going on out there, your space is your space.

So I want you to be intentional about what is in and around your physical workspace, just as the first thing to try. Make small changes based on how you want to feel and the energy you want to bring. Are you consciously crafting your space for productivity and creativity? In 2022, I think we have to get intentional. I personally make excuses and never leave here. This is just the way it is. And I mean hello, victimhood. But what I realised and I actually created this framework around Momentum was space actually really, really matters in these different areas. And if we can craft that for ourselves. Then whatever’s going on out there, it’s okay. Because we’ve got our zone. Right?

Okay. Let’s talk about it being February, mid February. Share in the chat just one word about how this year has felt so far to you. Maybe it’s been productive, maybe it’s been a write off. Maybe it’s been fun. We had a really fun summer. Maybe it’s felt sluggish, overwhelming maybe. Apathetic, distracting, blur, disjointed, relaxing, exciting? Just starting? I agree.

Can we just say, I feel like the year starts in February when the kids go back to school. Definitely a overwhelming whizzed past. Yes. Okay. So lots of different things there. Anxious. Yep. Yep.

So this is really, really interesting. There’s actually been some crazy, I don’t know if anyone’s into the planets, but there has been some very, very crazy planetary activity. There was about three planets in retrograde I think. And then early January last week, there was a really, really big shift. And I wonder if anyone else, you signed up for this because I don’t know, maybe you’re like, “Yeah. I can feel it. It’s coming back.” Or, “It’s time. I need to draw a line in the sand. I don’t want this year to end up the way last year was.” Something has to change. Maybe it’s just that now the kids are back at school if you’ve got them, and you finally got space to start thinking about things again.

Whatever has happened so far is okay, but I bet you’re probably here because you don’t want a flat first quarter. “My sleep is up.” Me too. I cannot sleep lately. So much energy. I feel like I’m sort of buzzing. It’s really strange. But I don’t know. I’m like, it’s time for action.

So here’s the thing. Whatever has happened to you so far, I want you to do this now for bigger impact in 2022. I want you to get clear on and stay connected to your big vision. For me, it’s so much easier to manage the bumps when you’re lit up from the inside about what you’re doing. I sort of see the vision like a rope that you can grab onto. And if you’ve been sort of pulled off course, you grab the rope and you just, “Okay, it’s steadied me.” And it can almost pull you forward a bit when you’re feeling like aargh, which is a common feeling. Let’s be honest.

So this is a really important thing I think for all of us at the start of 2022 to be getting clear on. And I really do get, because I’m in this with you. There’s so much to do as business owners. There’s so much pulling for our attention and our energy. So I think it’s fair enough to say how amongst everything else do you stay consciously connected to your vision? I’ve got an answer for you. Just random cute pics of my kids a few years ago.

Here’s the thing that I want you to do in 2022. And this is what I for sure got out of touch with last year, for sure. It just felt like one long, I couldn’t get a break it felt last year. So what I’ve committed to this year and what I want you to encourage you to is date your vision and your big dream. Make it a priority, like you prioritise your close relationships.

I now have a standing date with my vision, or you might call it your why, or you might call it the big dream, whatever it is. But you know what you focus your attention on grows, right? We need that to help us, because we know that this year, there’s going to be levels of uncertainty and all that sort of stuff. So it might look like a night in a hotel every few months. I love doing that. Lucky I’ve got parents who can take my kids. “Can you just take them for one night?” Just that change of scenery is so good.

Journaling in a cafe on a weekend morning. If I say to my boyfriend, “Hey, can you watch the kids? Just give them screen time. I don’t care. I’m going to go to the market and just sit with a notebook.” That is me on a date with my vision.

It might be a big vision meditation once a week, just crafting some space if you can’t get out of your space, which we all had to practise these things. I love a butcher’s paper on the floor with Sharpies days where I’ll have a day in my trackies or undies, depending how hot it is, and just sit on the floor and just get it all out on paper. Just start to see the things in my head. But we have to get intentional about this.

As the owner of the business, it’s on you to create and then stay connected to an inspired vision. There’s so much we can do. And I wonder for you if you hear this and you’re like, “Oh yeah, the last time that I really got into that big picture, I can’t remember.” It’s the best thing for creativity I think, and bringing the leadership that your business needs to the table.

Now, let’s just talk about connection for a moment. I don’t know about you, but I feel like everyone is craving connection. Are you? And I think 2022 feels like the perfect time to rekindle or the spark all around with yourself, with your team, with your community, with your clients. When I say connection to selves, as a business owner, are you listening to your own intuition? It can actually be super hard to do. I think we have to actively listen to ourselves, because there’s so much information about what we should be doing. So many formulas, so many bits and pieces. And we have to always just come back to what’s working for us. Are you listening to your body? Is your body giving you signs that this pace, not able to keep going at this pace, or that you’re ready for something more? Are you can connecting and listening into all of the stories and all of the BS that you’re telling yourself about why you can’t? Are you seeing it for the BS that it is instead of just continuing to believe and staying stuck in your mind?

And I don’t think any business owner should be an island. I know that there is a stage of business where you are bootstrapping it, and probably going it alone. Don’t let that be too long. And once you do have team members, even if it’s just one person, how are you building open and productive communication pathways with your team? For me, last year was so chaotic as I was onboarding so many new people into the team. And I really got this wrong. And I am really having to work very hard and learning new things about how to lead a team, and to communicate to a team. So this is something that I’m thinking about all the time. They want connection, to know that they’re doing a good job, to know what’s up, to have clarity your community. I mean, how often are you meaningfully connecting with them? They need to feel connected to you in order to have the confidence to buy from you.

And with your clients, what’s the client experience like? Is it feeling warm and connected? I think those of us delivering services online have to be looking at the touch points that our community have the level of connection that they have. I think people are looking for more at the moment, but not in an overwhelming way. In a feel good way. Does that make sense? Just stuff that we need to be thinking about.

And I want you to be thinking about this when you’re selling in 2022, because this is something that’s really, really on my agenda at the moment. Because just like you may have changed, just like you might feel distracted or overwhelmed, look at all that list of how you were feeling at the start of 2022. You might be zoomed out. You might be more stressed than usual. You might have had more worries about income than usual. So have your customers. And I think we really, really need to acknowledge this going into 2022.

People have changed. Their buying preferences might have changed. Their sense of possibility for some people, it’s expanded so much. For other people, it’s really, really contracted. And it’s your job to revisit the basics with simple but powerful questions through the lens of knowing that this pandemic has probably changed your people, right?

So I’m going to give you three things to do right now. We’re getting to the end. I’m so sorry. Probably got another 10 minutes. Hopefully you guys can stick around. You might think that you have these things dialled in, but at the beginning of a year where once again anything could be thrown at us, it’s important to be clear on these fundamentals. And I really do think they will ground you throughout the year. So these are things that I’m asking myself. What are you really selling? Who are you selling to? And how simple is it to buy?

So when I’m talking about what are you really selling, I’m talking about like with toothpaste, we’re not selling a paste made in a factory that tastes minty that you brush on your teeth. We’re selling a gorgeous, healthy smile, and less trips to the dentist hopefully. And with something like life coaching, you’re not actually selling the one hour session per week for three months. You’re selling the permission for that person to truly follow their heart and make empowered decisions for themselves. Right? You can see the difference. You can see hopefully what I’m trying to say here. We can get so excited about our product or service, how it was built, the hours it took to craft, why this is our labour of love. No one cares. Your clients don’t care about that. Sure, they need to understand your story and all of that sort of stuff. And they need to feel connected to what you’re selling. But most of them just want to know what’s in it for them? What is the outcome for them? What might they expect to feel, have, experience? How is this going to change them? Even if it’s selling beautiful jewellery, what are you actually really selling? It’s not the piece itself. It’s a feeling of abundance. It’s beauty. It’s adornment, and holding your head up high, and feeling special about yourself on a day in which you wear this thing. Can you see the difference?

Once again, what I promise here is the things that we need to be focused on that are going to ground us and be true, no matter what happens is outside us. If you dial this stuff in, this is where I always come back to in my marketing. Because it’s why people will buy or they won’t buy. So is your messaging at the moment grounded in the outcome that your customers will get? And how can you make it as simple as possible for your perfect dream clients to know that your thing is their perfect solution? You don’t sell the thing. You sell the outcome, the transformation. So important to just keep dialling, and dialling, and dialling in. And revisiting, because we know people have changed, which we’re going to talk about.

You can really think about this. This is a journaling prompt for after this. How is your product or service a vehicle to what your customer wants? They’re here. They want to be here. How does your thing get them there with ease? Be clear on that in your messaging. No one wants you to have to try and figure stuff out at the moment.

So the next question I ask myself is who we’re selling to. And in 2022, it’s time to check in on your people. They have changed. We’ve all changed. The world has changed. I’m sure that you’ve probably done ideal customer work if you’ve been in the game for a while. You might have a name for your ideal client. You might even know where he, she, they live. But what about since COVID? Where are they at now? And we know we are kind of different, because we are different too. And we’re dealing with things that we’ve never had to deal with before. I know for me, it’s changed how I spend my time, what I value, what I’m thinking about in terms of what I want for my future for the kids and I. So I really do think it’s time to revisit this stuff at the start of 2022 and check in on your people. And the best thing to do is just ask them questions. I mean, everyone’s looking for connection right now.

I have a question for you. Tell me the biggest thing you’ve learned about blah, blah. Describe your perfect day, or weekend, or holiday destination. What book are you reading right now? I mean, it doesn’t even have to be to do with your business. But find out what’s going on with your people.

I think we also need to acknowledge that when we’re talking to our people and we’re selling to them, they’ve probably bought a lot online over the last two years, and had very varied experiences. This is why connection is so important and trust is so important.

Just recently, I put a post up about home. I asked, I said, “Home feels really different to me.” I literally just did this on Monday. Did I? Or Sunday. It’s Wednesday and I don’t know how that happened. And I was just explaining how home feels different to me.

And I asked them about how different they feel about home, because I’m wanting to just get a sense of how they’re feeling about their daily life. Because I’m genuinely interested in people, but also because it’s super powerful thing to get the language that your community are using about themselves so that you can also reflect that back to them when you’re creating content for them. So we’re contextualising in their current lives.

I’ve got really heartfelt, very thoughtful and considered answers to that question that did give me a really good insight into the people who just went, “Bang. We just sold our house and took off around the country.” Or, “My home is my haven.” And I think that right now, we have to kind of be prepared to throw away the playbook and really get to know our people again, just like we’re getting to know ourselves again.

So then, we have how simple is it to buy from you? Some of you were saying you were feeling overwhelmed in January. You might be tired, fatigued. What the heck is going on right now? I mean, I’m sure you probably don’t feel like jumping through a whole stack of hoops. And no one’s got the energy for complexity right now. Your people feel this too. There’s that classic marketing saying, a confused mind never buys. And I feel like that is next level in 2022. I think it’s really important as you’re thinking about and planning for your year to keep your offers simple, and accessible, and speaking straight to who your customer is now.

So where do they go to buy from you? Can they buy from you anywhere? Is it hoops that they have to jump through just to actually buy the thing that they want to buy from you? Have you made it clear how to book a call with you or make contact if they’ve got a question for you? Even just, just that point of connection. Don’t leave it. Don’t make it confusing for people.

And also just to say I don’t think that as a business, I’ve done this necessarily particularly well. And we are looking to change that this year. It’s a really big focus, making products available so that people can have them when they want them. People are changing.

I think, we’re going to be focusing on a self-study evergreen promotion of our core programme ready for change so that people are just always being given the opportunity to learn what they might come across via me. I think Georgia Harding from Well Nourished does a really, really simplistic way of selling. And this is the thing always. Remember, we get to choose. She just reminds people to join a wait list, join a wait list, join a wait list. And then she opens the doors to her wait list, and doesn’t even necessarily do big online product launches, maybe once a year. But otherwise she’s just always building up a wait list, opens the doors to them, closes the doors to them, goes about her business.

Beautiful. We get to choose this. How simple is it? And in the same context, what barriers have you put up to selling more? Hands up to the perfectionists who are like, “It’s just not ready yet. It will never be ready. I’ve got to have this right, this right, this right, this right.” No more of that. How can your sales process be just really simplified for you, and for your team? Are you making yourself jump through a million hoops before you put something out there for sale? Don’t do it.

In 2016 I think it was when I spoke at ProBlogger, it was all about taking imperfect action. People like, “How are you doing it?” I’m just putting stuff out there, and I’m not expecting it to be perfect. And I’m learning on the fly and giving myself a break about that. And I literally to this date. Perfection is going to keep you out of Momentum. It will destroy your business momentum and probably keep you very underpaid.

And then the mindset barriers that need to be kicked to the curve. Most of business, a lot of it is just the games that you’re playing in your head. And we’ve got them about selling. We’ve got them about pricing, without a doubt. I mean, we’ve all got them. That is a really key area. If that is a key area for you to work on, then I would say get on board. Because if you’re not able to sell things, you don’t have a business.

Hey. If you are enjoying the conversation, then it would mean the world to me if you head over to iTunes and give us a rating and review. It really makes a difference. And it’s my intention to get as many of us involved in real conversations that really change the game as possible. Thanks so much your help, and I’ll see you in the next episode.