My God, there’s a lot of shit involved in getting a business rolling.
This is assuming you have a business. That you know what you’re doing/selling. A really common problem for people in passion businesses is they don’t have anything to sell.
I’m a life coach is not a business.
I’m an artist/I make shit/ I’m really good at interior design–want some? is not a business
Fuck the patriarchy is not a business
Writing a blog is not a business. Even if you’re a feminist life coach artist who has a lot to offer–it’s not a business.
The interwebs are full– FULL of advice about marketing your wares.Some of the advice is sleazy. Some is awesome. Some is basic. Some is shallow. But it’s all moot if you don’t have something to sell.
You better know what your wares are before you worry about trying to market them.
Marketing overview (assuming you know what you’re marketing): the basics
- Figure out who your people are.
- Go where they hang out.
- Be helpful.
- Ask for their business.
Details
- Communicate on social media.
- Blog.
- Start a newsletter.
- Pricing.
- Build a website.
- Branding and identity.
- Vision board.
- Manifest.
- Figure out the technology.
- Elevator speech.
- About 8 zillion other things.
Does this list freak you out?
If you find yourself trying to figure everything out that I just listed, I bet you’re tired. Overwhelmed. Not getting anywhere. Starting to worry about money, like really worry about it.
Getting a j.o.b. is just around the corner.
Once you know why you’re in this deal, the marketing takes care of itself
Stop focusing on the tools and get clear on the why. When you get really, really clear on your why you’ll be closer to having something to offer people.
When you know your mission, everything falls into place.
Building the perfect newsletter template and sign up box won’t get you jack if you don’t know what you’re newsletter is about or for or why. This helps you figure out what you’re selling.
It’s like building a house by focusing on the screwdriver set and never thinking about the house you’re building. If you don’t know you’re building a house, you might end up with a boat. Nothing wrong with boats, people. As long as you don’t really want a house.
3 questions
What do you do?
For whom?
How do you profit from it?
My answers:
I’m a life, body and business coach. For entrepreneurial spirits. I earn $ from 1:1 coaching and groups. My coaching and classes solve specific problems that funky entrepreneurial spirits have. They want to go deeper within themselves and want to solve whatever is standing in their way. I teach them how to stop overeating so they don’t have to be food’s bitch. And how to build their lives and businesses based on what’s awesome about them, rather than what they think they should be doing. My 1:1 and group programs solve these problems.
I’m working on an awesome product that will do this about 1,000 times better and without my having to be present.
Any marketing stuff I study will help me create things for those people to solve those problems. There are several very specific problems that those types of people have. I can create any number of things to help them. That is my business. Those are my people.
I’m clear.
I took Marie Forleo’s Rich, Happy, and Hot B-School last year. It’s an awesome program. And I got a lot out of it. But I would have gotten about a zillion times more if I’d had something specific to market.
If you have something to sell, take it. (affiliate link) It starts 6/11. It’s the most comprehensive and best marketing program I’ve seen. I answered specific questions here.
If you don’t know what you’re selling, wait.
I’m really good at helping with that. I love entrepreneurs in the early stages of business–that place when they’re either trying ot figure out what to sell or trying to figure out what it is that they’re trying to sell. So, either they’re figuring out how to make $ as an artist or they’re trying to figure out what kind of artist business they’re creating. If you’re in that new stage, you don’t need marketing help. You need focus. Clarity. The right questions. I’m your girl for that.
Can you answer those 3 questions? I’d love to hear your answers in the comments. If you’re missing part of it, we can work through it together.
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