You want to run a successful online business. You want to do work you’re passionate about, make a difference for others, and earn a great living at the same time.
So you’ve been working hard to make it happen. You’re gathering all the information you can find—taking what has worked for other business owners and applying those tactics to your own business.
The problem? The tactics that work for them aren’t working for you, or at least not consistently.
Clients aren’t coming as quickly or as steadily as you thought they would. You’re not making the money you want to be making (and feel like what you really have is an expensive hobby). Now you’re grasping at straws trying to figure out what to do next, because if you can’t make this work, you’ll have to stick to a “real job.”
Talk about frustrating!
You wish someone would tell you exactly what to focus on and what will actually help you get more clients.
Until now, you’ve been piecing together a bunch of different methods and blending strategies from various, random experts. Basically, you’re chasing down 17,982 ideas, one after another, like throwing spaghetti against the wall to see what sticks.
Although you were very well-intended in trying everything, it’s messy and it clearly isn’t working. You’re starting to realize that this haphazard approach won’t get you to the thriving business you want to have.
This is why you’re smart to realize you need a single, actionable, proven plan to build your business, get clients, and create the consistent, predictable income you’ve been working so hard to make happen.
The plan you’re looking for is exactly what I give my clients, and it’s also what I’ve outlined for you here in this book. As you’ll soon see, this strategic plan doesn’t always fit the mold that’s popular nowadays. It can sometimes even contradict advice you get from other teachers.
Trust the plan because it works.
You can get your business moving, get clients, and make money doing what you love. I’ll show you how.
STEP #1: Know What You Do and Who You Help
First, Get Clear on You
If you’ve done your research (and if you’re like most of my clients, you’ve done plenty of research!), you’ve likely heard that you need to identify your “ideal customer.”
And if you’ve tackled any of those ideal client exercises, they might not have worked for you. I totally, 100% understand your frustration, because they didn’t work for me when I first tried them either.
The reason they don’t work for heart-centered business owners is that those exercises miss the most important part of the whole heart-centered business-building process: YOU!
That’s why, in this approach, YOU come first. If you want to build a business doing work you love, you have to start with you!
It’s simple: Ask yourself, if you knew with 100% certainty that you’d be successful, what would you do? Who would you help? What problem would you solve?
Forget what everyone else says or what the “right” answer is. Instead, go with the idea that really lights you up, even if you’re not sure HOW you’ll make it work just yet.
This is really important, and here’s why.
Building a business is hard work. You’re going to have to do a lot of new things—things that make you uncomfortable—so you absolutely need to be fired up about the work you’re doing and the clients you’re serving. This will pull you through the challenges you’ll face along the way.
One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is that they settle for something that’s “smart,” something that they should do, something other people told them they’d be good at, or what they think will make the most money.
The problem is that these will never give them the fire in their belly that’s needed to propel them forward through the hard, uncomfortable times that are inevitable in building a business.
The only thing that will make them successful and give them that fire is the thing that lights them up.
After sharing this formula with thousands (maybe even tens of thousands!) of business owners, I know it works. Even if you’ve done this before, I want you to do it again with this new focus on you and what excites you.
Your Action Step: Claim what you love to do, who you love to work with, and how you love to help them. Make note of the work that gets you most excited, as well as the types of people you love to help.
Second, Get Clear on Your Target Client
Once you’re clear on YOU, you can then think about the clients you love working with. It’s important to understand your clients’ thoughts, feelings, and goals.
Ask questions like …
– How does she feel right now?
– What does she want most? What problem does she want solved?
– What does she think will happen once her problem is solved?
There’s one vital thing to keep in mind: You need to answer these questions as your ideal client would, using her exact words.
This means you must avoid jargon, industry-speak, and expert-talk. The words you would use to describe your clients’ problems aren’t always the words they would use to describe their problems. This distinction is essential!
Your Action Step: Find the exact words your clients are using to describe their situation and desires.
Here are some articles to help with Step #1:
Struggling to get clear on YOU and nail down your niche? Read Are You Making Any of these 6 Mistakes in Narrowing Your Niche?
Want to learn more about finding your clients’ language? Read The “Jargon Trap”: The Reason Prospects Aren’t Turning into Paying Clients & How to Change It Fast .
If you’re ready to put yourself out there and get more clients, read The First Five Steps to Getting Clients.
If clients are coming too slowly (or not at all), read The Questions You Must Ask Yourself Before You’ll Get More Clients.
STEP #2: Create an Offer Prospects Will Love
Many of the business owners I work with make the mistake of creating a group program or online course or digital product right from day one.
They spend a ton of time creating content, writing a sales page, and gathering course materials, but when it comes time to sell their creation, they’re met with stomach-dropping silence from their list.
It’s undeniably frustrating, and it can bring your momentum to a screeching halt.
That’s why I’m such a firm believer in a more practical approach. If you’re fairly new to offering paid services to clients, I want you to first create what I call a bite-sized offer.
What’s a bite-sized offer?
It’s a one-on-one package that’s small in size (think: 90-minute strategy session with a quick follow up a few weeks later) with a “no brainer” price tag (around $99).
It allows you to easily build experience, trust, and credibility doing your work. Even better, this approach has been proven incredibly effective over and over by countless Make It Work Online® clients.
How to create the perfect bite-sized offer:
Identify the result you’ll deliver: Figure out the big result you help clients achieve. This should be a specific, tangible result that solves a specific problem your clients are facing and helps them achieve the specific end result they’re looking for.
Then, scale it back. Ask yourself, “What’s one small step that will move this client closer to the big result they want?” Once you brainstorm ideas, pick the one that you’re most excited to offer and that you’re confident you can deliver.
A mistake my clients often make here is that they think questionnaires, assessments, or a coaching session are the deliverable. But your offer has to have a tangible result—something that moves your client forward … not just education or information.
Design your offer: Now that you’re clear on the result you’ll deliver, it’s time to design your offer! Think about what you need in order to deliver that result to your clients.
I generally recommend two bite-sized offer formats – one for business owners who do work for their client and one for business owners who do work with their client.
Here’s the recommended bite-sized offer format for business owners who primarily do work with clients (for example, coaches, consultants, nutritionists, and private yoga teachers):
– Prep work (like an assessment)
– A 90-minute session (with homework, if appropriate)
– Support materials (like an action plan, a worksheet, handouts, a guided meditation, recipes, or a session recording)
– A 30-minute follow-up session 5 to 15 days later
Here’s the recommended bite-sized offer format for business owners who primarily do work for clients (like designers, copywriters, bookkeepers, and virtual assistants):
– Prep work (like an assessment)
– A 30-minute session to gather the information you need to do the work
– The work you deliver
– A 30-minute follow-up session 5 to 15 days later
These are proven structures, but if your service doesn’t easily fit into one of these options, you can create your own offer format.
Once you decide on an offer structure, you’ll map out the components of your offer. The “components” are the various aspects of your offer, like your pre-work, one-on-one session, support materials, and anything else you provide your client.
These components are important parts of your offer because they are what help you deliver stellar results for your clients. You want to make sure to “play up” the components in your copy because they are valuable, and you need to convey that value to your clients.
Write your copy: Now it’s time to write your copy! Take some time to think about your client and how they view their situation. How would they describe their frustrations? How would they describe the ripple effect of those frustrations? How would they describe their desired end results? How would they describe the ripple effect of those desired end results?
Try to be as descriptive, specific, emotive, and visual as possible. Always use your client’s exact words and language, and avoid jargon and expert speak.
Your Action Step: Create and write the copy for an offer that solves your target client’s exact problem.
Here are some articles to help with Step #2:
Creating your very first offer? Read 3 Mistakes All Newbies Make.
If you’re frustrated by your business and not seeing the results you want, read Your Online Business Success Formula and Why You Shouldn’t Sell Coaching & What to Sell Instead.
If the thought of writing your own copy makes you want to run and hide, check out Why I Don’t Let My Clients Hire a Copywriter and The Common Copy Mistake That’s Killing Your Sales and How to Fix it.
And, if people are visiting your site but not hiring you, don’t miss Steal This! The Must-Have Copy for Your ‘Work With Me’ Page.
STEP #3: Set a Routine
Building a business is hard work! Whether you’re working on your business full-time or part-time, you probably feel like there’s too much to do and never enough time.
But it is possible to get everything done and finally make some progress. How? By creating an easy-to-follow business routine that ensures you have time to work on your business AND help your clients … even if your schedule is jam-packed.
Once you create a routine and set a schedule, you’ll always know what to work on to move your business forward. Your routine will help you set reasonable expectations about what you can (and can’t!) accomplish given your time constraints, keep you accountable and honest about how you’re spending your time, and eliminate any overwhelm, confusion, excuse-making, and procrastination.
Most importantly? It sets you up for success!
Here are the same steps I walk my clients through for creating a routine that keeps them focused.
Step 1: Determine how many hours each week you have to spend working in your business. 10, 20, 30? This doesn’t include things like learning time or mastermind meetings.
Step 2: Identify the different categories of work you have to do. I generally recommend my clients divide their time into the following buckets:
- Admin (email, scheduling, bookkeeping, invoicing, website maintenance)
- Blog, newsletter, and posting to social media
- Client-getting activities
- Serving clients
If you’re just getting started, you’ll also want to include some time for foundation work, things like updating your website, writing your offer copy, creating an opt-in offer, and writing autoresponders.
Be careful: People generally spend all their time on these behind-the-scenes tasks because they’re afraid to go out and get clients. The only way to get clients is to do client-getting activities, so most of your time should go there.
Step 3: Set your hours for each category or business activity. Divide your time among all the tasks, and avoid allocating all your hours to admin work or writing your blog. Also, make sure you’re not over-scheduling yourself.
Step 4: Follow your new routine and adapt it as needed.
Your Action Step: Create your routine and test it for about a month, making adjustments where necessary. Remember that you want to create a business that’s built around YOUR needs, so give yourself the flexibility to experiment.
Here are some articles to help with Step #3:
If you’re working your butt off but not seeing the results you want, read Steal This! My Rock-Solid System for Getting It All Done (& Having a Life).
If your clients are raving about you—but you’re terrible at following up for testimonials, read Steal This! My Simple System for Getting Stellar Testimonials.
And if you have trouble keeping your business running while also getting your client work done, watch my video How to Get It All Done.
STEP #4: Get Clients
Now that you’ve gotten clear on your target client, created a bite-sized offer, and set a routine, it’s time to get out there and actually get clients!
If you’re an introvert like me, it can be scary to put yourself out there, but it’s important to push through the discomfort so that you can connect to the people who truly need you. After all, that’s what you’re doing this for!
If you’re an extrovert, it can be easy to divide your energy in too many directions, which leaves you feeling exhausted with no real results to show for it.
Either way, be sure to use your routine to keep you focused on client-getting activities at the right times. I recommend you choose three ways from the following list to put yourself out there and get clients.
Ways to go get clients
- Email 100 friends, family, acquaintances, and colleagues to tell them about your
business. - Have a dedicated section in your weekly newsletter where you mention your paid
services. - Mention what you do in your email signature.
- Be of service on social media and in online forums.
- Keep a list of warm leads and follow up consistently.
- Send personal emails to new subscribers.
- Give people free, mini taster sessions.
- Host free talks in your local area.
- Guest post on blogs your target clients read.
- Host free calls or webinars.
- Network in person.
- Network online.
- Host a meetup group in your area related to your business topic.
- Post flyers around town advertising your services.
- Hold in-person or phone meetings with your peers to expand your network.
- Get interviewed on podcasts, live streams, and other platforms.
- Ask past clients for referrals.
- Send a dedicated sales pitch email to your list.
- Create and lead a private Facebook group.
Your Action Step: Choose three to five client-getting activities and add them to your routine. Follow through on them, making adjustments as you learn what works best for you and your business.
Here are some articles to help with Step #4:
If you tend to “shrink” when it comes to telling the world about your business, read “I’m Not Ready” & Other Lies I Tell Myself: What to Do When You’re Scared Sh*tless.
You can also read Want More Clients? Make Sure You Do This and Steal This! A 3-Step Plan for Putting Yourself Out There.
Plus, grab my free training, 21 Winning Ways to Book Yourself Fast.
If you try to be of service on social media but aren’t getting any clients from it, don’t miss
The Reason You’re Not Getting Clients on Social Media & How to Change It Immediately.
If you’re ready to take advantage of your email list, read Steal This! My Proven Plan to Hit 1000 Subscribers and One Email That Could Double Your Client List.
Don’t have an email list yet? Read Steal This! My No-Fail Approach to Getting Clients, Even If You Don’t Have an Email List.
STEP #5: Update Your Web Presence
While it’s crucial to put yourself out there and get clients on a steady basis, it’s also important to keep your online presence current.
This means you need to ensure your website, autoresponder emails, and social media accounts are up to date and relevant … without being sidetracked by perfection.
Let me be clear about this: Don’t ever prioritize your website over client-getting activities. Your website alone does NOTHING to get you clients if you’re not doing those things. (That’s why client-getting is step 4 and web presence is step 5.)
Your time is always better spent on being of service on social media, pitching guest posts and interviews, and connecting with prospective clients.
Here is a list of all the elements that should be kept updated on your website:
Home page: This is the first page people see when they come to your site. It should clearly state who you help and what you do. The number one goal of your home page is to get people to opt into your email list.
About page: Although it’s about you, it’s only about you as it relates to your client! Use strong copy that highlights what makes you different from your competition.
Services page: This is where your offer goes, whether you’ve created a bite-sized offer or you have bigger packages.
Blog: It’s more important for you to write consistently than to follow a fancy strategy. New business owners tend to worry too much about what they write. Instead, get into a routine, experiment with your topics, and have fun! Just publish!
Newsletter: Send a content-rich newsletter to your email list every week. The content can be exactly the same as what you write on your blog.
Contact information: Make it easy for prospective clients to contact you with questions or opportunities.
Opt-in offer: Give people a reason to sign up for your email list by offering them valuable, free content.
Squeeze page for your opt-in offer: Create a landing page with minimal distractions where people can sign up for your opt-in offer. Link to your squeeze page from guest blogs and social media.
Email autoresponders: These are automatic emails that are sent to subscribers at set intervals after they join your list. These are a great way to turn your subscribers into paying customers.
Social media accounts (whichever you choose to use): Update your profile, bio, and picture for each site you plan to actively use.
Other items unique to your site not listed here: If you have free resources, testimonials, or other pages, be sure to keep them up to date.
Your Action Step: Prioritize the items here for you and your business. (Just know there is no “right answer.”) Focus on one at a time, finishing it before jumping to the next one.
Here are some articles to help with Step #5:
Want to make your opt-in offer and autoresponders more effective? Read Turn Your Opt-in Offer into a Client Magnet and 6 Emails That Bring in More Clients.
To make sure your website is really ready to be published, read Warning: You Could Be at Risk if Your Website Doesn’t Have These 3 Things.
If you’re struggling to come up with interesting blog topics, check out 6 No-Fail Strategies for Having Endless Blogging Ideas.
And if you want to learn how to get more clients with my favorite marketing strategy, read How to Effortlessly & Authentically Grow Your Business.
STEP #6: Overcome Fear and Create a Success Mindset
Everything I’ve touched on until this point has been super practical. We’ve covered your summary, your offers, your routine, and how to get clients while maintaining your site.
But there’s something else that holds back many entrepreneurs: fear and a lackluster (or even crappy) mindset.
I get it! As an online business owner, you’re outside your comfort zone most of the time as you learn the ins and outs of marketing, pitch yourself to strangers, and step out into the world to talk about what you do.
When you’re just getting started, the most common fears are that you’re just not good enough or that this is too hard.
For example, you might be thinking things like:
It shouldn’t be this hard.
It must come easily for everyone else.
There’s no way I can do this every week.
What’s wrong with me?
I suck at this!
Your mindset is a big deal, so don’t let those crappy thoughts get the best of you. Understand that you will be uncomfortable at times and that business can be challenging, and THAT’S OKAY!
The bad news is that fear and discomfort never go away, even when your business becomes more successful. The good news is you can learn strategies to deal with fear when it comes up for you.
One approach is what I call The Scientist’s Mindset. A scientist views her work objectively, with an “I’ll give it my best shot and see what happens” attitude. If she mixes two chemicals and the solution turns an unexpected color, she doesn’t take it personally. Instead, she investigates what happened and determines her next steps … then tries again.
It’s exactly this approach that will save you from freaking out in your business. Because when you stop taking every result personally, you open yourself up to new possibilities, ideas, and opportunities. It’s the reset button your brain needs when dealing with failures.
Your Action Step: Dealing with fear and mindset isn’t something that can be solved with a few quick tips, so if you’re struggling with this check out the Further Reading section below.
Here are some articles to help with Step #6:
Have a big project or task that you just keep pushing down your to-do list? Read How to Stop Fear & Perfectionism from Holding You Back.
If you’re struggling to create the business you want, read The 3 As of Success: Increase Your Chance of Succeeding at Anything and 5 Key Factors for Building a Successful Business.
Afraid of failure? Check out I Eff’d Up: How I Failed My Way to Success and Stop Playing It Safe: Why Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone Will Lead You to a Highly Successful Business.
STEP #7: Keep Going
The last step for online success might sound obvious, but it’s important. You must keep going.
That means you must continue to put yourself out there, get more clients, keep your website updated, squash your fears, and stay committed to your dreams—every day!
I’ve learned that just saying that you’ll keep going isn’t enough. That’s why I recommend these next steps.
Your Action Steps:
1. Make a plan.
Write down your goals for the next month. List out exactly what client-getting activities you’ll do and how many hours you’ll spend on each.
When you’re setting your goals, make sure they’re action-based instead of results-based. For example, “I’m going to spend an hour being of service every day” versus “I want 3 clients by the end of the week.”
Focusing on action-based goals puts you in control of the only thing you’re really in control of at this stage: taking action.
2. Follow through.
To get the most out of this plan, you have to stick to it! Figure out what motivates you and use that to help you keep the momentum up day after day.
Maybe you like rewarding yourself with a walk outside or a special dessert. Maybe you like to take time off after you reach a certain milestone. Whatever motivates you to follow through, do that!
3. Track your progress.
Check in weekly or monthly to track your progress and assess your goals. Write down whatever lessons you learned so that you can make smart decisions going forward—and pat yourself on the back for how much knowledge you’re gaining.
This is what it takes to make your business a success. If you’re willing to put in the work, you CAN create a business you love that supports the life you want.
4. Adjust accordingly.
Pay attention to any insights you had when tracking your progress. Do you need to more closely follow your schedule? Do you need to adjust your hours? Was there a client-getting activity you really enjoyed and want to do more of?
Clarity comes from taking action, so use your insights to adjust your plan based on what you learned. That’s how you run your business like a pro!
Here are some articles to help with Step #7:
If you’re ready to step up and make your business work, read 9 Things I Gave Up to Be Successful and Steal This! Business Building Action Plan for a Successful New Year.
Does building your business feel harder than you expected? Read The Worst Business Advice I’ve Ever Heard and Struggling in Business? Here’s Your Missing Link.
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