For example, it’s pretty darn easy to share your opinion. To tell others what you’re going to do.

Most small business owners I know love to share their ideas, next steps and plans, but collapse at the thought of taking action.

So they opt out. They sit on the sidelines. Because they don’t know what action to take. Or they aren’t comfortable outside of their comfort zone. They believe every last thing has to be perfect before forging ahead.

The challenge is, talk means exactly NOTHING in your business if there is no action bringing up the back-end.

Taking action is hard. It can be scary sh*t. But your business only grows when you take action. There’s simply no way around it.

I have a client who challenges herself every single day to do something scared. Some tasks only put her a little sideways…like picking up the phone to connect with a former client. Other tasks totally flip her out…like delivering a full-day workshop to a room full of people.

The hardest part of taking action is starting.   

So here’s what she does. She digs deep (within herself) and finds 20 seconds of INSANE courage. Because for her, she knows if she can get through the first 20 seconds of the task at hand, it will be smooth sailing from there.

Here’s what 20 seconds of courage might look like in YOUR business:

1)      Sending an e-mail to your entire database with a super cool offer.

2)      Dropping 25 letters in the mail to re-connect with past clients.

3)      Reaching out to a potential power partner to chat out a money making idea.

4)      Signing up to attend a live event.

5)      Hiring a coach or joining a mastermind group.

6)      Book a speaking gig.

7)      Offering your product or service to a potential client.

Your ability to tap into 20 seconds of insane courage can significantly change the direction of your business. It could be the difference between closing a $10,000 deal. (Or not.)  It may be the difference between getting a new client. Or publishing a book. Launching a podcast. Hosting a live event.

If you’re like many of the small business owners I meet, you want it ALL.

And in order to have it all…you have to GIVE your all. (And THAT requires a ridiculous amount of courage!) I’m not going to tell you finding 20 seconds of insane courage is easy. But I swear to you it will be worth it.

How do you live courageously in your business? What’s been the result? Please leave your comments below!

Be a Legend!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S. Click here to download a FREE copy of the Business Builder Double Pack…it includes 21 D-I-Y Ways to Jumpstart Your Marketing, Win New Clients and Boost Your Bottom-Line.

Running a 5k is a heroic effort. (Especially if you’re a non-runner!)

It takes tenacity. Courage.  Determination. And at times, sheer grit. It also requires you get OUT of your comfort zone and lean into a bigger vision of who you are and how you show up in the world.

It’s the same in business. It’s super easy to get comfortable, complacent and/or tolerant. The problem is, when you allow yourself to play small, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. (And you’re showing others it’s okay to do the same – ack!)

Think you might be playing small? Today’s article outlines the symptoms and gives you a few simple steps to get back on the right track.

Click here to read all of the information.

Let’s Roll!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

Playing small impacts your effectiveness in the world.  

It can wreak havoc on your bottom line.

It can put your happiness factor completely sideways.

Here’s what playing small looks like:

You choose to stay idle. Never take the leap. Let your fears stop you. Make the same crappy decision over and over because you tell yourself you can’t (or shouldn’t!) do anything different.

I had breakfast with a small business owner last week. Five seconds in to our meeting, it became obvious she was playing super small in her business. She rattled off every excuse in the book as to why her business wasn’t making oodles of money.  

I don’t feel good. I don’t know what to do next. I’m overwhelmed.  It’s almost summer.  I had a fight with my BFF. I don’t think I’ll ever be truly successful anyways, so why bother.

(You can imagine the meeting was a bucket of fun.)

It got me thinking that as small business owners, we all play small from time to time. We get comfortable. Complacent. Tolerant. We do “what has always worked” instead of pushing for fresh, innovative solutions that will send our business into the stratosphere.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Right?

Wrong.

Maybe you don’t know you’re playing small. Or, maybe you’re like a few of my clients and it takes a fog horn to get your attention. Either way, here are 5 ways to know, (without fail!), that you’re playing small…and what to do about it.

1. You’re irritated. When you’re playing small, even the tiniest things bug you. Your employee shows up 30 seconds late. Your banker’s on vacation. Your clients are an inconvenience. Your peeved that everything feels hard and that it’s not producing the results you imagined.
    
2. You know there’s more. When you’re playing small, you know in your gut there is a better path for you. You may not know what that path is, but the one you’re on isn’t it.
    
3. You’re out of alignment. How you live and how you show up in your business are incongruent. I tried for years to separate my business from my professional life, but you can’t. When you’re out of alignment, you experience every one of these symptoms.  
    
4. You Doubt Yourself. You question your ability to choose what’s best for your business. You may wonder if you should be doing what you’re doing…or just get a J-O-B. You’ve lost faith in yourself and your ability to make smart decisions.
    
5. You Try and Solve the Same Problem Over and Over. Listen. If you’ve had the same damn problem for months, even years…you’re playing small. Your first step is to tackle your toughest challenge first. Now is a great time to start.

Here’s the truth.

Playing small sucks. And the worst part is when you do, not only are you showing others it’s okay to do the same, but you’re leaving money on the proverbial table.  

Ready to do things differently?

THEN DO THIS.

Your first step is to take the very next step. And then the next. You get in trouble when you try to figure it all out BEFORE you take the leap. Determine what your ideal business looks like. Then break it down into a manageable, action-driven steps.

You have to get uncomfortable to grow. But when you leap, one of two things will happen. You’ll either crash (and get back up!), or you’ll find your wings. Either option will get you off dead-center and on your way to a better bottom line.

How have you overcome playing small? Please leave your insights and comments below!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S. Ready to ramp up your online marketing? Click here for a FREE Business Builder Double Pack.

Four times a year I fly to North Carolina to meet with my mentor and 25 other business owners from all over the world. I always walk away with *killer* marketing strategies and next steps to “uplevel” my business. (And my mind-set!)

I’ve been in a mastermind for almost two years. I can’t imagine where my business would be if I didn’t have support and structure.

(Hint: It wouldn’t be good.)

But here’s what else is cool. In addition to bringing back strategies and next steps, I also bring back a truckload of confidence. (Priceless.)

I’ve never met an entrepreneur who doesn’t struggle with confidence. (Hey, I do too!) The trick is knowing HOW to turn the ship around when you need to. That’s why today I’m sharing 5 simple, easy ways to boost your confidence, so you can get back to doing what you do best — running your business.

Click here to read all of the information.

Let’s Roll!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S. If YOU need a boost of confidence, click here to get more info about my VIP Client Days. After just 1 day, you’ll walk away with a 12-month road map to take your business from where it is now to where you WANT it to be.

Especially entrepreneurs.

Crazy thoughts wreak havoc in our lives…things like who am I to do this? Should I be doing this? Will I ever be successful? What if I come across as incompetent? Incapable? Unprofessional? (You see where I’m going…)

We all struggle with confidence. There’s no shame in that.

But having tools to break free of that terrible space can help. It can also get you back to doing what you do best – running your business.

Below are my Top 5 (Favorite!) Simple, Easy Ways to Boost Your Confidence Fast:

1. Borrow the belief. There are loads of people who love you, support you and want you to win. If there comes a time when you can’t find your confidence, borrow someone else’s belief (in you) until you believe in yourself.
2. Learn to trust yourself. Put tasks before you and complete them. Repeat as necessary. When you consciously cultivate self-trust, you can walk into any situation knowing you have your own back.
3. Let what freaks you teach you. When something comes up that scares you in your business, take a closer look. Be curious about the fear. What’s causing it? Is it the truth or are you stuck in a story? Clarity about the scary is a catalyst to confidence.
4. Take action. Successful business owners are willing to do things unsuccessful business owners are not. Uncomfortable is a non-negotiable part of the grow equation. I tell my clients to do one thing per day that scares them. It’s amazing what occurs when you’ll do things scared.
5. Get support. Find a coach or an accountability buddy. Join a mastermind group. Challenge yourself (daily!) to do something that shoves you out of your comfort zone. You’ll be surprised what you accomplish when someone else is cheering you on and holding a space for you to live boldly.  

Confidence gives you the freedom to make radical changes in your business…things like raise your prices, create new programs, cherry-pick your clients and ask for referrals. When your confidence soars, I guarantee your business will too.

Be a Legend!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S. Need a few new tactical strategies to ramp up your online marketing? Download your FREE Business Builder Double Pack here.

P.S.S. Click here and get what you need to overhaul your marketing in 2 hours or less! 

There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not freakin’ thankful I *love* marketing.

Because the truth is, most entrepreneurs don’t. So they avoid it, ignore it, or throw tons of money at it to make it go away. (Hey, I’m not judging…just sayin’.)

Avoiding marketing and sales is a mistake a lot of business owners make. But it’s not the only one. That’s why today I’m sharing 4 Totally Avoidable Marketing Mistakes Entrepreneurs Make and how to overcome them ASAP in your business.

Click here to read all of the information.

Let’s Roll!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

The only thing you’d have to do is write a check…and success would *magically* be yours.

Would you buy it? (Lots of people would…there’s no shame in that.)

I have the honor of working with business owners every day. So I see the costly and avoidable mistakes they make on their way to top. That’s why today, I’m sharing 4 of the most common and how to work around (or avoid) them entirely.

Mistake #1: Most entrepreneurs despise marketing and sales. If you’re the craft person in your business, marketing probably isn’t your Zone of Genius. So you ignore it, hire someone to do it, or throw tons of money at it to see what works.

As a business owner, you have a choice. Either you can hire someone to do your marketing or you can learn to love it. I prefer learn to love it.  The next question is always, “How can I do that?” You can do it by serving your peeps instead of trying to sell them. Ask yourself, “What do my peeps need from me? How can I give it to them consistently? What information or education are they seeking that I can provide?

When you stay in touch consistently – through articles, education or information that makes their life easier (or better), it builds both the relationship and your credibility. That’s how your potential peeps will move through your sales funnel…from suspect to prospect to paying customer.

Mistake #2: We try to sell too early in the process. No one likes to be “sold” and that’s why we hate to put the “hard sell” on others. If you’re always out to see what you can get, I guarantee your return will be dismal.

Think about where people enter your business. When they first find you they are suspicious – they don’t know you from the guy down the street. This is a terrible place to make a pitch. Your suspects become prospects when they raise their hand and say, “Hey, I’d like to hear from you.”

Note: This is when they sign up for your e-newsletter, become your friend on social media, enter your store or inquire about your product or service.

Hear from you and buy from you are very different things. Think about your sales funnel again. How many times do you “touch”’ someone before they buy from you? Once you pinpoint where the transaction occurs, build a marketing plan that supports moving people to that point.

Mistake #3: You have no idea how to price your products/services. Most business owners look around to see what their competition is doing. Or, they try to determine what the market will bear. Both of these strategies can lead to underpricing.

When you position your business correctly, serve your peeps at a high level, (consistently), and understand when sell, you can put almost any price on your products or services. When you speak to the problems you solve and the results you deliver…that’s when people start paying good money for the work you do in the world.

Mistake #4: We forget that the fortune is in the follow-up. Improving follow up and keep-in-touch strategies can increase profits by 30 percent (or more)!

The reasons we don’t follow up are many. We fear we’ll look desperate. New contacts fall through the cracks. Other activities take priority. We think we might be over communicating.

People buy from people. And they buy from people they have a relationship with. You can’t build a relationship if you don’t stay in touch. You with me? Create a simple 12-month plan to stay in front of your potential clients.

Hint! Every month you’re not in touch you lose 10% top of mind awareness. One month is probably no big deal…but 12 months baby, and you’re off the radar.

The victory isn’t in avoiding mistakes. (Trust me, I’ve made a few myself.)

The victory is that you can learn from these mistakes and do things different next time.

Be a Legend!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S. Is it time to ramp up your online marketing? Download your free business builder double pack with 21 Ways to Jumpstart Your Marketing, Win New Clients and Boost Your Bottom Line here.

P.P.S. Does your marketing plan need an overhaul? Get key strategies for re-engineering your marketing in less than 2 hours here.

Choco Banzo is a healthy organic chocolate dip that is vegan, dairy, nut, gluten and soy free. It is low in sugar, fat and carbs – and it’s delicious.

Christine developed the product because her son had allergies. What started in her personal kitchen will soon be distributed throughout the entire Front Range area.

You see — when you create solutions to people’s problems…amazing things happen. And when you figure out effective ways to communicate those solutions…everyone wins.

Most of my clients claim, “But Brook! I’m not a writer!” (A very important form of communication, especially online!) That’s why today I’m sharing my 5-step easy peasy process for crafting words that sell.

Click here to read all of the information.

Let’s Roll!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S. Do you struggle with writing your own copy? Come on over and tell me about it! (And hey, I might even have a few answers!)

Because it can literally take what you do from SO WHAT…

…to SOLD OUT.  

Learning to write copy that builds relationships and motivates people to buy doesn’t have to be hard.

(HINT: It has nothing to do with where you put your apostrophes – and EVERYTHING to do with letting people get to know you. Like you. Trust you.)

Most of my clients are paralyzed at the thought of writing blog posts, social media musings and/or articles without 3 other people reviewing their work first. Sheesh!

Can you hire someone to write your copy? Yes.

Is it worth your time and money to become a better writer? Absolutely.

Here’s my 5 step, easy-peasy process to ramp up your copy writing dexterity and start cranking out words that positively impact your bottom-line:

Address WIIFM. (What’s in it for me?)

This includes writing about how WHAT YOU DO makes your client’s life easier – i.e. saves them time, money, heartache, etc. The only thing your peeps care about is the solution or result they need – write your copy with the end result in mind.

Write one-to-one, not one-to-many.

It’s as easy as using the personal pronoun ‘you’.  Write like you speak…almost like you’re across the table having a cocktail. The less “corporate speak” the better. (Please don’t go wild with grammar/spelling errors.)

Use active tense.

Sentences using an active voice have energy and directness, and both keep your reader engaged.  Active voice sentences are also less wordy – better for everyone.

Establish a swipe file.

When you get a direct mail piece, e-mail or promotion that prompts you to take action, keep it in a reference folder. The best copy writers know the words that sell — let their examples be your guide.

Be compelling. 

Make your peeps an offer — a strong call to action — they can’t refuse. Make sure it has real value. The most you can afford to give away. So often good copy fizzles because it doesn’t tell the reader exactly what to do next.

Is it a challenge to find your authentic voice? Absofreakinlutely. (Mine took 7 years and it’s still evolving.) Is it effortless to write compelling, action-oriented marketing copy? No way.

But when you do both well, your clients (and your wallet!) will love you for it. 

Be a Legend!

Brook Kreder
Founder
Experts and Empires

P.S.S. My new clients are busy implementing every last brilliant money-making idea that came out of our VIP day together. If you want to attract hot prospects, win more clients and boost your bottom line, click here to learn more about scheduling yours!