What Business Should I Focus on?
People ask me all the time – which business should I do?
And hey, this is super good question to be asking.
Because people with well-functioning million dollar businesses have come to me on many occasions saying, “Whoops. I’ve built a business that doesn’t fit me.”
And people pay me $10K on the regular for a VIP day with me, where I channel through clarity and words that convey their deepest gift, their best-fit business, their ideal market, their best marketing copy, and their unique programs and offerings that are ideally suited for them to keep them fulfilled, relevant, and lucrative for the rest of their lives. And they leave happy, hopeful, and clarified. Yay!
And I know that not everyone is cut out to have me lay it all out for them like that. Many will need to find their own way, sometimes spending years searching for the business that really serves the world while satisfying their soul.
So I want to share 3 secrets that most people have to learn the hard way. Like the “years of struggle with money” hard way.
And maybe they can be helpful for you!
Secret #1: Serve Yourself
If you are called to help people make a change, heal, or learn something, it is about 90% likely that you should be serving an ideal client that is just like you used to be.
You’ve been through struggles, through changes, through challenges, and emerged on the other side. So if you’re asking yourself who your ideal client is, look in the mirror… well, a magical mirror that shows the YOU of the past. Dive into that past-you.
This might be painful. You might not feel all yummy and excited about serving people who are now where you were then. You might wish you could “forget the past” and “not deal with clients who are needy/downers/ignorant.” But that’s rude and lame and arrogant. Cause you were like that too. And you were still loveable and deserving of help. So, if you’re struggling to figure out who you’re here to help, why not help those who are now where you were then. And once you get them out of their crisis, you can help them do all the yummy deeper work you’re more into now.
Secret #2: Fly Your Freak Flag
Let’s face it. You’re a weirdo. You have some thoughts, beliefs, and positions that are not universal. Good. Fly your freak flag!
Believe it or not, those things are what make you an expert. Those things are what carve out what you’re really here for. Those things are what connect you with your peeps. Those things. The weird things. The things that “limit” your audience also choose your audience, and let them choose you. So go freaky head. And let this help clarify who and what you’re really here for in biz.
Secret #3: It’s about them, not you.
Isn’t it strange that I’d start by saying Serve Yourself, and then end up saying it’s not about you? I know, right? Paradox. Well, it’s true.
Because while identifying your expertise is about YOU (especially PAST you), inviting your people to come and find you and invest with you is really about THEM, not you.
The biggest mistake I see inspired creative awesome entrepreneurs making, is that they forget who they’re talking to. They describe their business as if it’s about them. But really, if it’s a business, it’s geared towards those who invest – aka your clients. Not yourself.
So don’t fall for the temptation to create a business that centers around you – what YOU think your people SHOULD want… and how YOU would describe their problem… and how YOU want to help them with that problem. Instead, the questions, are… what are THEY thinking they need and want up front (and then you can convince them otherwise once you’re in relationship and they care what you say), and how are THEY describing their issue/problem, and how would THEY like to work with you?
One example of this is when you assume that your people value YOU spending more time with them. Maybe not. My highest level clients actually pay MORE to talk with me LESS. That’s because at the highest level, they really need flexibility in scheduling, and the ability to talk to me on lunch hours and weekends, and the ability of me to get one hours worth of coaching into their 20 minute slot in their calendar. See? It may seem counterintuitive if you’re focused on your time, your calendar. But if you tune in with what THEY need, you may find you can create a business structure and model that really suits you both, and makes your clients VERY happy.
So there are the 3 Secrets I wanted to share that many people overlook when deciding which business to do. I hope that was helpful.
And if you’re curious about having me help you identify the perfect fit business for you, either through a VIP session, or a shorter session, or my online business school program, you can check out my fun Work With Me Survey here.
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About Mellissa
Mellissa was a Stanford-educated business lawyer until her intuitive abilities awakened in the year 2000 with the birth of her daughter. Now she bridges the worlds of business strategy and intuitive intelligence. Creative designers, Fortune 500 executives, and thought leaders hire her to teach them how to Channel their Genius – to create on demand, to stay in their flow state, and to create lucrative businesses that follow their souls’ calling.