In case you haven’t noticed, your business isn’t Forrest Gump. It doesn’t start running and “just keep right on going for no particular reason.”
Don’t get me wrong. It would be amazing if your business threw on jogging pants and a baseball cap and ran all the way to the ocean and back again. But the reality is a teensy bit less impressive than that.
In the real world, your business is more like Homer Simpson. It slumps in its chair. It drools. It just doesn’t get moving the way you want it to. And when your business isn’t moving forward, you’re stuck wondering, “What’s wrong with my business?”
Are you selling the wrong offer? Do you need to change your website copy? Did you eat too many donuts?!
When you don’t know the problem, you can’t start to fix it. And the weeks, months (or years) go by without getting your business off the ground.
So the question is, how do you make your business run a little more like Forrest Gump and a little less like Homer Simpson?
That’s exactly what I’m helping you with today.
Dive into my handy-dandy checklist and discover EXACTLY what’s been keeping you stuck, so you can shift it, and get things moving again (and easier than before).
What’s Keeping You Stuck?
The first step in solving any big problem is to figure out what your problem is. Only then can you solve the problem for good and finally get the traction you want in your business.
Sometimes, figuring out your real problem is easier said than done. That’s why we’re scouring through the most common problems I see business owners facing, so you can see what might be tripping you up.
If you wish business were easier than it is, don’t skim this list. Take the time to read it through and see where you’re really stuck.
Click to Tweet“If I were given one hour to save the planet, I would spend 59 minutes defining the problem, and one minute resolving it.” EinsteinYour Niche Is a Problem if…
Struggling to sell your offer? It can be hard to know if your offer itself is the problem, if your niche is too general, or if your copy and marketing efforts are missing the mark.
Luckily, there are a few telltale signs that indicate your niche is holding your business back. Read on to find out if you need help clarifying your audience, so you can start selling to the people who need you most and will happily hire you.
You Believe That “Everyone” Could Use Your Services
Business owners fall into two camps:
Camp #1: You (mistakenly) believe that everybody on the planet could benefit from your services. This forces you to water down your copy until it feels so bland and generic that no one will buy from you.
Even if it’s true that you can help everyone, in the internet age, you simply can not market that way and build a business from the ground up.
If you fall into this camp, it’s time to narrow your niche. I’ll be writing more about this in a few weeks, so hang tight!
Camp #2: You have a narrow niche but are hesitant to get specific in your copy, because you’re afraid of turning people off.
When my clients fall into this trap, I love to tell the story of the time I hired a coach who helped women with pelvic pain.
Here’s the thing. I didn’t have pelvic pain! But I resonated with her philosophy and approach to coaching, so I hired her.
My point is, you MUST be specific in order for your perfect prospects to “get” your message. Even when think you’re too specific, you’re not excluding people like you fear you would. The right people will hire you, even if they don’t fit squarely into your target client description.
You Think That Doing What You Love Counts as a Niche
I always encourage my clients to do work they’re passionate about, but you have to be careful about “following your passion.”
First, you can’t get paid for everything you’re passionate about. (Sadly, people won’t pay you for watching Netflix all day.)
Second, not everything you’re passionate about would be fun to turn into a business. (I love teaching my dog to do tricks and cooking homemade lunches, but have no interest in making either of those into a business. Some things should just be hobbies!)
The trick is to find something you would love to help people with all day long even if you didn’t get paid to, and that would also be something people will pay for. That’s when you’re on the right track.
If you’re not sure if your passion is marketable, test your idea. Start out by offering your services to a few people for free. Then play with a bite-sized offer. Experiment with your idea to make sure you like it before you commit fully.
You Can’t Communicate the Problem You Solve
If you can’t concisely describe how you help your people, it’s a sign that you’re niche is squishy.
When your niche is solid, you’re able to put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes, feel what she’s feeling, and think what she’s thinking. You know the words she would use, the things she’s tried, and what she wishes would happen for her in her life.
If you’re describing your process instead of your clients’ desires and pain points, it’s time to revisit your niche and make sure you’re clear on who you’re serving and what they need from you.
Click to TweetStruggling in your biz? It could be your niche or pricing or…whoknowswhat? Discover your most pressing problem with tips from Jenny Shih.Overwhelm Is a Problem if…
Overwhelm is a legitimate issue with business owners. You’re wearing multiple hats, learning 27,463 different things, AND trying to serve your clients.
Although overwhelm is sometimes unavoidable, you don’t want it to become the norm. Read on for signs that overwhelm is holding you back.
You’re Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall or Changing Tactics on a Daily Basis
If you’re jumping from big idea to big idea or chasing after new tactics every time you open your laptop, it’s time to reassess your approach.
Scattering your energy is often a symptom of fear. When you don’t stay committed to ONE strategy, you never discover what actually works for you and your business.
The only way to know for sure if something does or doesn’t work is to go “all in,” make sure you’re executing it the right way, and see how it pans out. Doing this well takes time and follow-through.
Your Family and Friends are Worried About You
Have your friends stopped asking you to hang out? Is your partner losing patience when you talk about how much you’re struggling to get clients and make money?
While it’s normal for it to take time to see your business to take off, if struggling has become a way of life—and your family and friends have taken notice—it’s time to shift something.
The solution? You might not want to hear this but…
You need a break!
Downtime helps your brain recharge and also amps up your creativity so you can get back to work feeling renewed. Not to mention, your family will love seeing your face when it’s not behind a computer screen!
You Feel Like You’re Busy Working but Not Seeing Results
If you’re rushing through projects, working late nights, or investing in lots of courses and not seeing it pay off, it’s a sure sign that you’re either focused on the wrong things or are working on the right things but doing them in the wrong way.
A few signs that you’re focused on the wrong things include:
- Working exclusively on the backend parts of your business and not putting yourself in front of new prospects
- Focusing on “pro strategies” that are several steps away from you and your business
- Worrying about making everything in your business perfect before you take the next step
But how do you know if you’re working on the right things in the wrong way? That’s definitely trickier and a big reason why my clients hire me to help them with their businesses. That level of personal feedback is invaluable!
To evaluate this in your own business, notice if you’re following a strategy that you read about but aren’t 100% sure how to execute it. For example, maybe you heard “blog weekly” so you publish a new post weekly. But do you know exactly what to write about and how it fits into the overall strategy for your business?
That’s just one example in a list of thousands of little things in your business that you’ll want to make sure you’re doing exactly right to get results.
I’ll be sharing tons more overwhelm-busting advice in a few weeks, so stay tuned.
Your Mindset Is a Problem if…
It’s easy to underestimate the importance of mindset when it comes to running a successful business, but it plays a huge role in your success (or failure).
Here’s how to know if your mindset is holding your business back.
You Consistently Use Phrases Like, “I Can’t,” “I Have To,” or “I Don’t Have Enough…”
Pay attention to your thoughts, especially the crappy ones, as you tackle challenges or obstacles.
This sounds simple enough but “catching” your thoughts can be challenging! We often assume that what we’re thinking is true, so we don’t question our thoughts or give them much attention.
But that’s where the trouble comes in. A thought like, “I’ll never get this business off the ground” is similar to computer malware. Even if you don’t realize it’s there, it’s still causing harm on a daily basis, holding you back from taking action, putting yourself out there, and building the successful business you want.
For now, don’t worry about changing your thoughts or judging yourself for having them (we all do!). Simply notice your thoughts with gentle awareness, know they’re trying to keep you safe, put them to the side, and get back to doing your work.
Though if you feel inclined to take things further, I always encourage that! I’m a big fan of Byron Katie’s The Work, the #1 mindset tool I use in my own life.
You Compare Yourself to Others
If you constantly feel like everyone else is further along than you, living a better life, or being more awesome than you overall, I get it. I feel that way, too, a lot. The key is to not let it stop you from doing your thing.
Remember, the internet only gives us part of the story. Blog posts, short videos, Facebook updates, and Tweets show us one side of a scenario.
It’s important to stop the shaming before it spirals into a storm. Again, the answer to this problem is to pay attention. If someone online brings up your shit, then unsubscribe, unfollow, and avoid those people. (It’s why I personally spend very little time on social media!)
Put your focus on what you need to do, and get back to work.
You Don’t Push Yourself Past Your Comfort Zone
When you’re facing something new or challenging, like being of service on social media, pitching yourself to bloggers or podcasters, and executing the 100 email strategy, you can get really uncomfortable, really fast.
You see this discomfort as a red flag, and you think that because you’re uncomfortable, you must be doing something wrong.
You think that if you learn more, jump to a totally new strategy, or simply wait for the fear to go away, the discomfort will disappear and you’ll finally be able to do all those things you’ve been putting off.
The truth is … discomfort never goes away—ever!
Discomfort is a part of business, plain and simple. So as long as you’re trying new strategies or reaching for new goals, discomfort will be right there with you. You can’t escape it, you can only learn how to embrace it and deal with it.
Your Website Is a Problem if…
Your website: Every entrepreneur’s favorite distraction!
Especially when you’re just starting out, it’s easy to get totally obsessed with your website and avoid doing the things that can move the needle in your business.
Is this you?
You Keep Waiting to Click Publish Until Your Site Is Perfect
If your “Under Construction” sign has been up so long it’s sprouting weeds, it’s time for a gut check.
Is your website truly not ready? Or do you have it ready to go, but you’re waiting for it to be “perfect”?
News flash: Your website will NEVER be perfect, not ever.
It’s time to call yourself on the BS and hit “publish.”
Then get on with actually building your business, getting clients, and doing your work in the world. That’s what you want to ultimately do anyway, so get started right now.
You Update Your Website Copy Instead of Doing What It Takes to Get Clients
Do you ever notice that when it comes time to do the HARD things in your business, like pitching your services to prospects, shooting a live Facebook video, or setting boundaries, your website suddenly catches your eye?
You feel like NOW is the time to change your tagline, browse new WordPress themes, install a fancy plugin, or check your analytics.
Don’t fall for it!
This is fear’s way of keeping you safely hidden away from your prospects. Because instead of going out and finding clients, you’re stuck on your WordPress dashboard trying to figure out what you did to accidentally make the font on your website 10x smaller.
Fight the urge to make website tweaks and instead get out there, connecting to prospects and establishing yourself as an authority. Client getting activities should always be at the top of your to-do list.
You Spy on Other People’s Websites and Second-Guess Your Own
You know how it is. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you start scrolling through your arch nemesis’ website, getting more and more frustrated about how much better she is at explaining her services and making money and being funny and looking gorgeous.
With my clients, I’ve found that when they’re feeling lost or confused about their next steps they check out the competition to “get ideas.”
The problem? They end up feeling worse about themselves.
When you’re not sure what next step to take in your business, there are other options aside from scoping out the competition’s website.
You can:
- Journal through your thoughts and fears
- Get outside to clear your head
- Schedule a session with your coach or mentor
- Call a friend and talk about something other than work
Whatever you do, stay away from other people’s websites. It’s not worth it!
Your Pricing Is a Problem if…
You’re Afraid You’re Charging Too Much Because No One Is Buying
When you hear crickets, you might assume that your packages are too expensive and that your prices are scaring people away.
While it’s true that many people jump to premium pricing too fast and it dramatically slows down their business, be warned that just because people aren’t buying doesn’t mean that you’re charging too much.
Other factors could be at play.
For example, you might be using too much jargon, you might be talking more about your process than the problems you solve, or your clients might not even realize that you have an offer!
So before you blame your pricing, do a quick check on the three things above.
You Worry That You’re Charging Too Little
If you have the nagging feeling that you’re leaving money on the table or you feel resentful toward your clients, it’s possible that you’re charging too little.
Raising prices can be the most nerve-wracking thing for a business owner. The good news is, raising your rates is easier than you think.
It starts with finding the perfect price (I tell you exactly how to do that here) and then telling your clients you’re raising your rates (which I talk about here).
You CAN do this (and your bank account will thank you)!
You Don’t Know How to Communicate the Value of Your Packages
You KNOW that you can help people but you’re struggling to explain your services in a way that your perfect prospects will understand.
Here’s how to fix it.
Start by asking yourself these three questions:
- What problem does my ideal client have?
- What does my idea client want?
- How am I going to help them solve their problem or get what they want?
Don’t just think about the questions. Write out your answers. Brainstorm what your ideal clients really want and look at the world from their perspective.
Something powerful happens when you take time to write out the answers. Major a-ha’s happen, and I see it with my clients all the time.
Answering these questions will help you communicate the value of your offer in a way that will have your prospects scrambling to hire you.
Now What?
*Whew!*
We covered a lot in this post. So here’s what to do next.
Step 1: Review the list above. Choose the top scenario that best describes your biggest business challenge right now.
Step 2: In the comments below, tell me more about your specific challenge, where you’re stuck, and how I can help. I’ll coach you for free right here in the comments!
Step 3: Stay tuned, because I’ll be tackling each of these areas one by one in more depth so you can overcome these obstacles once and for all.
Sound good? Leave a comment now and join my email list to stay in the loop.
My Personal Recommendation for YouMake It Work OnlineⓇ Workshop
I can see myself in a few categories. I don’t waste time with perfecting my website, but I do need to improve my copy in all my marketing materials to better communicate how my clients can benefit from my services, using their words. I also need to send out a regular blog/newsletter and come up with fresh freebies to send to my current subscribers and attract new ones. Also, the mindset is a big issue for me. It’s so easy to get caught up in a negative head space when things don’t go as I’d like. Anyhow, it is a work in progress.
Love that you’re looking at all of these aspects in your business. Is there something specific you’d like help or advice on? Fill me in; I’d love to help!
I am definitely still stuck in the Overwhelm category. While I’m in the process of getting myself out of it working out where to start is still super confusing. I get 400-600 hits on my website a month and very few turn into customers so does it mean it’s a problem (although I read somewhere 95% of all first time visitors don’t buy) so do I keep doing the social media and what I’m doing because that ‘is’ working but focus on a retargetting campaign (& if so how the heck do I do that…) ! P.s loved the gif! X Katie x
I hear you! Where to start is such a huge cause of overwhelm.
Let’s break it down for you, step by step.
* Website page views are pretty much meaningless, so don’t put much focus on that number.
* Instead of page views, focus on getting subscribers to your email list. (I see you have a pop up to get people to sign up. Make sure that’s all over your site, too.)
* Next, make sure you are nurturing those subscribers with weekly high-value, free content.
* Then set up autoresponders to further nurture your subscribers and let them know about your paid services.
* Make sure your offers pagers are clear and use your target clients’ langague and are focused on the results they want most.
* Once you have all of that, focus on building your email list. Because with the other pieces in place, this is where traffic (but really, subscribers) becomes meaningful. With the right pieces in place and done well, those subscribers become your base of paying customers.
I hope this helps!!
Hi Jenny!
I think my niche is my big problem. I’ve been feeling stuck recently because I want to make a major shift in my business but don’t know how to do it without completely starting from scratch. I want to change my business from copywriting services to mindset/life coaching but I don’t know how to start building that business and getting coaching clients. I’ve been feeling disconnected with my copywriting work so I have been stagnant and I’m not even trying to get new clients (even though I need them.) I’d love your input on how I can move forward and change my business without completely starting over. Also, how to narrow down my niche for my coaching.
Thanks so much!
Melanie
Hi Melanie. Great question! I’m going to get coach-y instead of advice-y with you here. Hope you’re open to a dialogue!
My question for you is: What’s wrong with starting over? Why are you resistant to that?
FYI – I ask genuine, curious questions, not leading ones or deceptive ones. It helps me to understand where your head is and what’s going on in your brain to help lead you to the best right answer for you.
Fill me in!
Hi Jenny, I’m always open to a dialogue!
My answer: I don’t want to completely lose everything I’ve done with my business over the past year. I don’t want to have to build a new website, social media, email list and online presence. I’m mostly resistant to it because it feels like a lot of work and like everything I’ve done with my business so far has been a waste. Starting over feels like a failure.
This is great because getting clear on what’s going on behind the scenes in your mind will help you plot a clear plan forward.
You have some limited thinking (mindset stuff) that’s stalling the show.
You’re believing that if you start over you are losing everything. BUT THAT IS NOT TRUE.
You think that starting over means you’re a failure. AND THAT IS NOT TRUE either!
I totally understand how you can feel this way, but as long as that’s where your head is, you will stay stuck here.
Instead, see that EVERYTHING YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR in your current/past business has brought you SO MUCH knowledge and insights about business, marketing, yourself, serving clients, processing payments, contacts, on and on and on. You simply can not start from scratch with that much experience under your belt!
Yes, you will probably need a new website, all new copy, to start with building a new list. THAT’S OKAY because you know how to do these things because you’ve done them before!
Did you know that I closed my first online business? I was a career coach and a year into it I realized I did not want to be a career coach. I closed my business. Fired my clients. Took 6 months to build a website from scratch, blog from scratch, start over on social media… all of it. But it was way easier the second time and way more fun, because I was excited about my new work! Even better, when I launched my site, I knew I was on the right track, was excited to talk about what I did, and my business quickly surpassed my old one because my energy was aligned with this new direction.
Was my old business a failure? Hell no! It was just the wrong business for me. I learned SO MUCH about myself, serving clients, blogging, what I liked and didn’t like about business. This helped me set up jennyshih.com for so much more success.
I’m curious… how does all this land with you? What questions come up? What hesitations? You are also welcome to disagree with me!
Can’t wait to hear what you think… 🙂
Jenny, I think you’re spot on! You’re right, I need to look at everything I’ve done in my current business as preparing me for the future. So it isn’t a failure if I decide to start from scratch again, and at least I will already know what I need to do to get started because I’ve already done it.
What comes up for me now is fear and hesitation. Can I REALLY quit my business and fire my clients? Can I REALLY make it as a coach even though I don’t have any “professional” experience, just my own life experiences? What if no one wants to hire me as a coach?
I love how receptive you were to this, Melanie! It says so much about you as a person and as a business owner. (Not everyone appreciates my no-BS, direct style, but those who are open to it allow me to help them move mountains! Bravo!)
Now that you see that everything so far has prepared you for the future, you were able to uncover the next layer of the problem: fear and hesitation. This is great news!! (I know it might not feel great, but the more clearly you can see the real problem, the easier it is to get past it!)
The next step is to look at these questions and separate the emotional from the logical. When we try to tackle them at the same time, we get stuck and muddled in our heads and get nowhere. When we separate the two, we can sort it out from multiple different angles.
So pull out the emotion from the questions and look at them from a logical perspective:
Q1. Can you quit your current biz and fire your clients?
A1. Of course I have no idea. 🙂 Practically speaking, yes, literally, you can. But practically speaking, do you want to do that right now? It would depend on your personal financial situation. This is where I’d suggest you take a hard look at the numbers and see what you’re willing to risk or not risk and address it from there.
Q2. Can you make it as a coach with the experiences you have?
A2. Of course I have no idea. 🙂 The first practical step to figuring out the answer to this question is to try it out! Find 3-5 people who you can practice on for free, and see what happens. Do you like it? Do you not like it? Do they like it? Get curious!
Q3. What if no one wants to hire me as a coach?
A3. If you take your previous biz experience and you couple that with some great practice clients (#2) and a serious commitment to growing your biz know-how and your client-serving know-how, you can figure this one out.
When you look at the above questions without emotion, you see the practical steps.
Likely, the reasons all of the fear and hesitation are coming up is because you’re trying to SOLVE THE ENTIRE PROBLEM right now, in this moment, from where you are, wanting 100% perfect success guaranteed. Which I know you know can’t happen!
When you back up and look at the questions with a emotion-less perspective, you see, “Oh, these are some simple steps I can take to investigate if this will work.” Which is way easier to tackle then trying to answer the whole thing at once.
Does this make sense?
When you think about proceeding this way, how does it feel?
How else can I help?
And THANK YOU SO MUCH for being willing to show up, be honest and vulnerable, ask a hard question, and be so open and receptive to support and ideas. I LOVE supporting women like you!! <3
Jenny!! THANK YOU!! I can’t tell you enough how much this has helped me!
Taking the emotional side of things out of it and looking at it from a logical perspective has made everything so much clearer for me. I have been overthinking things for the past few months because I want to solve the entire problem right now (exactly like you said!) which can’t be done and I didn’t even realize it.
Here are my reactions to your questions:
#1: Logically speaking, I can’t quit my current biz just yet. But I can find a part-time job and stop taking on new clients. This will financially keep me supported while I’m making the transition.
#2: Finding a few practice clients sounds like the perfect way to try things out and see how it goes. The only thing is, when I start thinking about this my mind immediately jumps to questions like “How do I even get practice clients? What would the ‘coaching’ look like in terms of sessions and amount of time? How do I find the perfect practice clients?” etc. And then I get overwhelmed and fear comes back in.
#3: I know that if I can be of value to people and truly help them change their lives, then I can make this work. And people will hire me. My rational mind says that if I have had people hire me in the past, then there is no reason why people won’t hire me in the future (even if it’s for a different service). I know that I am capable of building a successful business with the right tools, knowledge, and support.
I feel like I have a clearer picture of how I need to proceed: 1. Get practice clients, 2. See how it goes and if I want to keep doing it 3. Stop taking on new copywriting clients 4. Start getting paid coaching clients
Obviously, there are more steps involved than those, but I have a better general picture of the actions I need to take next. And that feels really good!
So my questions for you are: Where do I find practice coaching clients? How do I structure my coaching sessions? How do I pitch it to those people?
And again, thank you so so much for all of your help and support! I am blown away by your generosity and wonderful insight!! <3
I can feel the breakthroughs happening in your brain, Melanie! I love it!!
Great follow-up questions.
To get practice clients, start by asking people you know. Tell them what you’re up to, what you want to try out, and ask them if they’d be willing to be a guinea pig (or know someone who would). Give them an idea of the kinds of people you want to help and with what kinds of problems.
Start by offering one session. Plan for 60-90 minutes. Be open that you’re experimenting, so you can both be unattached to results, just curious to see what happens. If they like it and want to do more, give them more! As long as you’re having fun and learning, I would give someone up to 5-8 sessions for free. You’re getting paid in massive experience.
This is exactly what I did when I started as a coach, and it was huge for helping me sort through what I liked to help people with (and didn’t like), and it was a huge confidence builder.
Good luck and have a blast!!
I definitely fall into the category of too many ideas and not enough follow through on many of them. And could probably narrow down my niche of being a shamanic coach for women on a soul mission 🙂
Give me some more specifics about where you’re stuck and what’s going through your mind and how I can help. I would be my pleasure!
Oh, Jenny! The pushing past discomfort is so hard, especially when it comes to putting my business in front of new faces. I have all these great steps outlined from MIWO and I just need to implement. Thankfully things have finally started to shift this week, so I feel like I’m on my way to getting back on track. Thanks for breaking this down so clearly. Looking forward to the coming weeks!
Great to see you here, Michelle!
What if you changed it from trying to PUSH PAST discomfort to learning to BE OKAY WITH discomfort?
You see, discomfort is inevitable in business growth–ALWAYS! So learning to develop the skill of living with and doing the work anyway is what makes us successful.
Does that shift change anything with in you? (If not, you know me, that’s fine. Tell me more and let’s see if we can get you moving!)
Yes, that’s definitely a more helpful way of looking at it, albeit very uncomfortable! It feels more empowering to acknowledge it and still do the work than to be all “bull in the china shop” and living in denial. I guess it’s similar to what Gilbert says in “Big Magic” that fear is allowed to ride along in the car but not be in the driver’s seat?
So then is the solution to acknowledge it, but make the plan and execute it anyway, in spite of the feelings? Do you really get to the place where the feeling isn’t so paralyzing? Or is that for next week? 😉
Yes to what Liz says!
Also…
Discomfort never goes away in life. It just moves to new areas of our lives.
Think back to something you do now that used to be hard and scary that now feels not hard (or as hard) and not scary (or as scary). Notice how it was hard and scary and YOU DID IT ANYWAY.
The same is true here. If you wait for the discomfort to go away, you will never move forward. If, instead, you say, “This is hard and I can do hard things,” you can start to move forward.
PLUS! This is a biggie… Discomfort is a SENSATION in your body. That sensation’s job is to say “this is new and scary.” BUT!! This is the the important part — NOTHING IS ACTUALLY WRONG! It’s ONLY a physical sensation in your body. You can handle that, right?
It’s not “real.” I mean, yes, it’s a real sensation, but it’s not your arm getting chopped off or anything truly physical. So you can take it WAY LESS seriously.
Does this make sense? (You know me, I want you to keep asking until it clicks!)
Yes, makes total sense. And I HAVE done a butt-load of really hard stuff! (This is also reminding me of Bev’s coaching. Think I need to revisit my notes…) That’s really motivating to think of what I could be accomplishing if I take the wasted “discomfort energy” and channel it into what serves me and my business better. THANK YOU, Jenny! It’s always so good to be here!
YES!!! Exactly!! If you took your “energy units” that you have been spending on minding, tending to, ignoring, or shoving away the discomfort and instead put that toward taking action…. what could you create?! You would be unstoppable!!
I’m cheering you on!! <3
I’m struggling with my niche, which is currently creative people. I’m a licensed therapist and a creativity coach. I think that saying I work with creative people has worked, but I end up with a lot of creative people with a bunch of different problems. I do also note on my counseling page that I specialize in working with highly empathic creatives who encounter problems through feeling and giving too much (people-pleasers/codependents). This can be done through individual and couples work.
I’ve been beginning to wonder if I chose the “creative” umbrella out of fear – because I’m an active musician in rock bands and am not your average looking therapist. I’m even beginning to question how much I really like creativity coaching. It’s hard to negotiate all of this with the understanding that I am beginning to be known in my area as the therapist who helps creatives. I’m wondering how I can marry who I am with my actual specialty that I listed above. And how I can convey that in a domain name, which is currently my full name and is WAY too long. I need some help! Thanks, Jenny. <3
Thanks for all this info, Lauren! I love when someone’s ready to dig in and get clear, and I’m so happy to help!
You have a few pieces of info here, so I’m going to start with one question, and like with the others above, we’ll dialogue to get you moving forward.
Question #1: If you weren’t afraid, if there weren’t any right or wrong rules, if you could choose and know you’d get it right…. who would you work with and what would you help them with? No limits on reality. I’d like to know who excites you the most, far and away above everyone else. And what you’d want to help them with.
I can’t wait to hear what you share!
Thank you, Jenny! I think what I love the most is helping people develop the courage to set boundaries and ask for what they want/need, teaching them that they are responsible for no one’s feelings but their own. Whenever I do a workshop or talk about self-care, fear, or getting paid as an artist, I emphasize these points. So I’ve been somewhat able to teach these things to the people I work with.
The precise “who”? I’m not exactly sure anymore. I like doing this with individuals and couples, men and women. That’s where I’ve gotten stuck. I do like working with high-functioning people who are essentially afraid of expressing their “softer” feelings.
Notice I used the word “teach” a couple of times. I am looking to create more online programs and income that doesn’t rely on someone having to show up in my office.
My business is doing alright, but I’m not consistently making enough money to pay my half of the bills (I’m married) and I’m ready to get to the next level.
Ok after sleeping on it and thinking it through, I’d actually love to work with women who have already “made it” in their awesome creative careers, but who struggle with these particular issues within their relationships.
Excellent! I love that you slept on it; that’s one of my strategies, too!
Your first post yesterday said you were struggling with your niche, but now I think you’ve got it. Yes?
How does it feel to own this niche? To go out into the world and claim that you can help these women?
It’s exciting, but also scary. I worry that it’s not “right” and that I’ll change my mind again. I also wonder how to talk to these women. I’ve done a lot of “marketing to your niche” worksheets and whatnot, so I understand the nuts and bolts, but it’s like, what is the question or the statement for them? “Are you a successful creative woman who struggles in your relationships? Has anyone told you you need to get some damn boundaries? Lol
I also worry about the perception from others who sort of see me as this friend of struggling creatives. And my current clients. What will they say?
So, what if you change your mind again? What’s wrong with that? Sometimes we build up huge stories in our heads about how we have to get it right, can’t change our minds, this has to be the one, or else… But that’s just bogus! This day in age with the internet the way it is, with our personalities and passions transforming, and given how long we’re all going to likely live, we WILL DEFINITELY change our minds. Knowing that’s normal and okay and that it’s part of the process can help us get over the fear of possible future change. Make sense?
When it comes to “marketing worksheets,” drop what you think you know just for a sec because I find that the way most people teach is totally throws my clients into an entirely wrong direction.
Start back at who you love most to help and serve. You said: women who have already “made it” in their awesome creative careers, but who struggle with these particular issues within their relationships.
Great. Now, think about those women. Maybe you have a past client that comes to mind or a pretty clear picture in your mind.
Now get in their heads. Be them. They come to you, before they’ve worked with you, and they say, “Lauren, I’m so frustrated because ________________. I wish _________________. Because then I ______________.”
Befor they’ve ever worked with you, what words are they using to fill in those blanks? (eg, maybe they say, ‘I want better boundaries’ or maybe they don’t even know that lingo yet; that’s totally dependent on the women YOU LOVE to work with)
Sit with these questions. THEIR words before they hire you. THEIR WORDS to describe their frustrations, their desires, and their dreams.
What do you discover…? (I can’t wait to see what you find.)
Jenny,
There’s quite a bit of context wrapped up in my fear of changing my mind again, but I understand what you’re saying. It’s completely normal, for sure.
I find that most people teach marketing to your niche in the same way – considering your ideal client and thinking in their words. But I appreciate your prompt here. It’s a little different.
“Lauren, I’m so frustrated with my partner. I feel so crazy, exhausted, and guilty. I wish he would get himself together so I didn’t have to worry about him so much. I’ve got my own stuff to deal with!”
Hmmm, that seems about right. Anything I’m missing or should be more specific about? What’s the next step?
Thank you for your help, Jenny!
Excellent! So we started this conversation with you not sure about your niche. You sound pretty darn sure about your niche now!
What next? Well, here are the Jenny Shih method steps for getting this going…
1. get clear on who you serve and what you help them with
2. create an offer that solves their problem
3. get the word out about you what you do
You can grab a free cheat sheet at makeitworkonline.com. (That’s for my program waiting list but i you opt-in, you’ll get “7 Steps to Make It Work Online” which will give you more specifics.)
Bravo, and way to work through it!!
Hi, Jenny. This is the first time that I comment on your blog.
Thank you very much for sharing this awesome list.
In my case, I am struggling with making the money that I want to make. I know that I can do better than some of my competitors in academic editing (some of my regular clients already testify to that), and now I want to break through the international market and serve clients from overseas rather than those just in Malaysia. I believe that I can help more non-native English speakers out there to polish their conference papers, journal articles, and theses.
I have even narrowed down my niche since I don’t edit everything under the sun. Rather, I specialize in editing academic works in various facets in Engineering since this is where I am able to deliver the best results.
However, I realize that it is not easy to communicate my offers to those overseas and I am not in the stage where I can afford expensive marketing strategies such as Facebook ads. I am not surprised if my prospects don’t buy from me – the money is there somewhere, it’s just that they don’t trust me. I am a non-native English speaker myself, it’s just that I love English since I was little, so I worked hard to master a language that isn’t my mother tongue. And I have helped many of my local clients to publish their work in top-tier journals.
I also learned over time that those who always want the cheapest services will never be loyal. This is what happened with some of my local clients because some of them haggle ridiculously cheap prices and even insist on free reedits. I learned to let them go.
I am struggling to market my services to international clients who are non-native English speakers and I feel like I am stuck in a rut.
Welcome, Nadia! It’s great to meet you!
First off, the good news is that you don’t need to spend $ on Facebook ads! In fact, I recommend most people don’t do that until their business is well established and they can “risk it” with ads. So that’s no problem for you at all.
It sounds like you have some insights that your problem might be that people don’t know how good your are and aren’t ready to trust you. Second, I think the problem might be that there are not enough people who know you.
So the question becomes, how do you solve those two problems.
Without seeing your website, a few things come to mind about helping people see how good you are. Some ideas…
* Create a really strong Work With Me page that clearly artciluates what you do and how you help people, using words they use to describe their situation.
* Put plenty of examples on your site, where you can, showcasing your work.
* Gather client testimonials and put those on your site.
* On your Work With Me page and your About page, talk about what matters to you (Hint: It should be what matters to your clients!) so people get that you understand their needs.
Now when it comes to getting more prospects in your pipeline, there are several ways to do that. Most of my clients use online marketing, starting with a website, building an email list, and reaching out on social media. However, in your line of work, you could easily create a very strong LinkedIn profile and start making connections through that channel. LI isn’t one of my areas of expertise, but I have seen clients do this quite successfully over the years. It’s a great way to make connections, gather referrals, and connect with those seeking your services.
Okay, I just gave you a bunch to think about. Does that resonate, sound like it’s in the right direction, or lead to more questions? Fill me in!
Hi, Jenny.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my comment and share useful insights.
LinkedIn seems new to me, especially in terms of marketing. But it’s worth looking into.
I can tweak my website based on your recommendations. I’ll do them one at a time.
One of the things that I love about you and your blog is that you’re clear, specific, and you have a personal touch. I’ve seen all these business coaches who are really rolling in dough, but they don’t even bother replying to comments, and everything is just more or less automated. Sometimes I feel as if I’m like talking to a bot.
Thanks again for sharing your insights, Jenny. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Let me know how you fare with these next steps, and come on back if I can help you further!
And thank you for the kind words. I was just telling a friend how connecting with clients and other business owners—and truly serving them and helping them in their businesses—is SO MUCH FUN, and it helps me help more women get out there and do their work in the world.
I’m so glad you took the time to comment. And I’m sending well wishes as you work on these next steps!
Hi Jenny,
This list was so insightful! The 2 biggest things holding me back are mindset and an aversion to being uncomfortable. Any advice on:
1. Overcoming the feeling of not being talented/qualified/experienced enough to run my own business.
2. How to get better at pushing myself past my comfort zone. Right now this is showing up as I’m working through executing the 100 email strategy.
Thanks!
Felicity