Women are powerful as individuals, but together – in friendship groups, masterminds, partnerships and collaborations – there is nothing we can’t do.

Which is why I invited Laura Phillips, a launch strategist, growth mentor, founder of Love to Launch and my soul sister, to talk about the power of cultivating deep female friendships as an online business owner.

Three years ago, Laura and I were competitors. I didn’t know her, but she came on my radar when I noticed she was doing the most fabulous launch. It got to a point where it was so good, I thought, “I’ve got to tell her. This is going to be so weird, she doesn’t know who I am.” But from that one moment of woman-to-woman connection, magic has happened.

Be the change is a mini-series here on The Simply Smart Business Show where I get down to it with leaders in the online business world to talk about the problems facing our industry today and (most importantly) how we can create the changes we want to see.

POD BONUS:

I have a bit of a bonus to share with you today. Laura has JUST opened up Let’s Launch Together, her anti-hustle, anti-sleaze, anti-complicated, anti-non-ethical-marketing-tactics, program that will take you from quivering launch planner to pro-live launcher in just 12 weeks, in a safe, secure, supportive setting.

Thing is, I was in the last round of this program and it was nothing short of amazing. If you’re about to launch then I advise you check it out. I’m a proud partner of this program, which means I get a commission from each person I refer to Laura. But I’ve decided to share that with you in the form of a special bonus package when you sign up via me. So if that sounds good, head over here to check it out. 

Listen to this episode here.

Takeaways from this show:

• If you’ve experienced difficult or competitive relationships with women, it can be challenging to trust enough to bring them into your inner circle.
• Support from other women who really get it, is so important when you’re on the entrepreneurial journey.
• In this online world, which can be surface level, it can be hard to create nourishing relationships with other women – especially if you get lost in the scroll and comparison.
• Instead of getting swept up in the sheer number of women who could become customers, mentors or friends, focus instead of cultivating a smaller circle for deeper relationships. Go deep instead of wide.
• Become more intentional about who you’re connecting with online. Don’t be afraid to clear space so you can create a nicer online experience.
• Be discerning about who you place that trust in, especially if you’ve been burned in the past. This becomes even more important as you become more visible.
• Be brave enough to create a sisterhood of openness, vulnerability and trust – there’s so much support and joy that can come from it.
• Move away from friendships that are no longer aligned, with kindness and love. The more in tune with your values and who you are, the better your friendships are going to be. 
• A small mastermind of women, which is a safe space to both champion and call each other out, is hugely valuable but takes time and patience to build.
• Many entrepreneurs are looking for solutions to their problems; a magic fix, formula, blueprint, amazing mentor etc. What most people need is simply support around them. 
• Male friendships and mentors can make you work harder, build more ambition and get stuff done. But building relationships, nurturing your team and willing to be vulnerable are feminine traits that we need more of.

Challenge time!

1. Reach out to someone you admire and let them know how much you love their content, podcast or launch. 
2. Pay them a compliment, and see how it fills your heart with joy. 
3. Then go to the Simply Smart Business Facebook Group and tell me what happened from reaching out. 

Listen to this episode here.

More on Laura here: 

Laura Phillips, Launch strategist and growth mentor – Founder of Love To Launch.

Find out more here: lovetolaunch.com

Check out Let’s Launch Together here.

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The post Let’s talk about the importance of your Inner Circle appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.

Here we are at the final episode in the series of Create Your Breakthrough Business! If you’ve been coasting along and watching everyone around you speed ahead towards big breakthroughs, then this is for you.

Missed the first three in the series? Go back to episode one to learn about the importance of creating your vision. In episode two, we talked about looking back on what you’ve done in your business and how to identify the steps you need to take to make your vision a reality (by avoiding the “spaghetti strategy”). Then in episode three we looked at how you can step into that breakthrough with a clear plan broken down into goals and milestones.

In this episode, I’m talking about putting all these elements together to create your big breakthrough. Take a listen to discover how the best strategies and plans in the world mean nothing if you’re stuck in an old mindset pattern. 

Listen to this episode here.

Takeaways from this show:

• The three biggest mistakes that can keep you stuck are:
  • Not working on your mindset everyday
  • Not designing the right strategy for you, your business and your vision
  • Freezing and not taking action. This is when procrastination, overwhelm and self sabotage show up. 
• You can work with all the coaches in the world, but until you break the mindset patterns that keep you stuck, nothing will work. 
• When there are old stories from the past that create self-doubt, you may find yourself jumping from guru to guru, from this strategy to that plan. Until you break the pattern, you will never create the breakthrough.
• When we start moving forward, resistance shows up. We doubt our plan. We seek validation from others. We stop focussing and start trying all the other things. We create the spaghetti strategy and take the wrong action. When we inevitably don’t get the results, we start blaming other people. 
• If you recognise yourself in this pattern, congratulations! The first step is awareness.
• Go back to episode one to learn some techniques to work with your resistance so you can break the pattern.
• Taking action on your strategy can help break the mindset pattern. It doesn’t matter if it’s imperfect and messy or doesn’t work; it’s still better than staying stuck in the old pattern.
• Acknowledge when you need help. You’re human and were never meant to be alone. When you’re stuck in unhelpful patterns, seek help from a business mentor, coach, peer-led mastermind, membership or qualified therapist.
• Once you get the mindset stuff nailed, it makes it so much easier to do the rest. 

Resources

Take a look at the Planning Tool I mention in this episode so you can start to capture your goals across the year and the actions you need to take to meet them.

Planning Tool

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The post Putting It All Together appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.

Let’s dive into the third in my podcast series of Create Your Breakthrough Business. If you’re doing all the things, are feeling frustrated as everyone around you has big breakthroughs and wondering, “When is it going to be me?” then this is for you.

So far in the series, you’ve identified where your mindset might be holding you back from the breakthrough you need, reviewed your past actions and identified improvement opportunities, and created your vision with actions aligned to bring it to life. If you haven’t heard the first two episodes yet, go back and take a listen.

In this episode, I’m talking about creating a step by step roadmap for your vision. Let’s get clear on how to clear the road of any distractions, and help you pick up speed on the way to your breakthrough in business.

Listen to this episode here:

Takeaways from this show:

• Think about the three big, non-negotiable goals you want to achieve this year. How do they help you achieve your vision?
• Accept that your success is your responsibility, nobody else’s. Not your coach, not your mentor, not the programme you’re on, not the people in your mastermind. When you take full responsibility for your success, you’re less likely to fall into victim mode and your results will happen much faster.
• Create a six month plan to meet those three big goals. Think about The Power Of One (check out the last episode for more) and bring your focus down to the essential actions to meet those goals.
• Beware of over-committing. When you’re realistic about what you can get done, you allow yourself the space and time to focus and will get much better results. Look at where you can simplify and strip your plan back to something that’s feasible.
• Focus on revenue generating goals. Identify tasks that will help you to meet that big one year revenue target, then prioritise them. Creating revenue in your business always needs to be your priority. Always.
• Start selling right away. The minute you’ve done your research, validated your idea, and know what audience you’re going for, start selling. Not once you’ve built the audience/nailed the brand/finished the website. Start selling immediately because you only need one person to make a sale and you’re flying.
• Get comfortable with selling. If it feels icky, switch your mindset to one of ‘selling is serving’. If you struggle with sales, take a look at my Daily Sales Checklist and implement in your business right away.
• What needs to change? Look back at what hasn’t worked or where you’ve been out of alignment, and think about how you do things differently now.
• 3 things to help you trust yourself:
  • A daily mindset support system.
  • A clear plan of what to do next to meet those goals and bring your vision to life. 
  • The practical actions and support you need to make it all happen.
• Get clear on what support you need to make your plan a reality.What do you need to invest in to make change happen? It could be identifying a book that’s going to fill a skills gap. The sooner you invest, the sooner you’ll change, the sooner you’ll get different results.
• Ask what ‘future you’ would do. Don’t operate from past beliefs because they are irrelevant. Operate from the future you that you are working towards and make decisions based on that today. 
• Accept that creating a breakthrough isn’t easy. Your mindset/technology/other people may trip you up. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But I promise you, difficult roads lead to beautiful destinations. It’s worth the discomfort, and with the right support, it can be easier.

Homework:

• Revisit your one year goals and write your three main goals down, then journal on these questions:
  • How do those goals can help you to achieve your big vision?
  • How you can support yourself in achieving those goals? Be clear on gaps and fill them as fast as you can. 
  • How can you step into the future you, the you 2.0, to make those goals happen?
  • What do you need to do over the next six months to break through and achieve your one year goals? 
  • What tasks have to happen? 
  • How much time do you have to dedicate to that? 
  • Is it too complicated? Can you strip it back and simplify?
  • Which of your activities are revenue generating? Prioritise those, do something every single day to create revenue in your business.

Listen to this episode here:

Links from this episode:

The Daily Sales Checklist 

Subscribe and never miss an episode:

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Leave a review:

If you’re loving the show, I would LOVE you to share that love with a review! 

The post Stepping Into The Breakthrough appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.

I’m so excited to delve into the second in the series of Create Your Breakthrough Business. If you’re doing all the things, are feeling frustrated as everyone around you has big breakthroughs and wondering, “When is it going to be me?” then this is for you.

Missed the first in the series? Go back to learn about the importance of creating your vision. In this episode, I’m talking about one of three big mistakes I see that keep you from creating that big breakthrough in your business – not designing the right strategy for you.

With so many methods, theories, channels and tactics available to create success, you can end up creating what I call the ‘spaghetti strategy’ by trying everything, even when you’re at full capacity. This happens because:

• You don’t have clarity or belief in you or your business
• You aren’t clear on your purpose, who you serve, their biggest pain or their biggest desires 
• You don’t have painkiller offers
• You don’t know how to reach, nurture and convert your people 
• You aren’t clear on how to serve and give your people what you’ve promised
• You don’t know how to implement the right systems in your business

Take a listen to discover how to stop the overwhelm and streamline your strategy.

Listen to this episode here.

Takeaways from this show:

Streamline your strategy

Keep it simple. Overwhelm will only ever keep you stuck while simplicity creates momentum. Get clear what works for you, and declutter the rest.

Only learn from a handful of experts who you trust, align with your values and have proven they know what they’re talking about. 

Be ruthless in your what you focus on and have the strength to stay in your lane.

The Power Of One

• ideal paying customer
• big problem you solve or one big desire you bring to life
• offer to make that happen or to solve the problem
• main content format
• social media platform to go all in on
• nurturing system
• repurposing system

Create laser sharp focus on revenue generating activities only. e.g. Content creation and repurposing; Regular promotions; funnels, launches, lead generation activities; audience building, engagement and nurturing; sales followup and conversion; customer delivery and experience; data analysis and projections; creating partnership relationships that are going to support your business and open new doors for you.

Don’t waste time scrolling the grid or newsfeed, spending all day in Facebook groups, procrastibranding, comparisonitis, perfectionism, faffing around with your website, too much research, buying all the courses and not doing them, looking for the silver bullet (there isn’t one), getting caught up in all of the drama on social media.

Create a list of learnings to guide your future strategy 

I love this quote from James Wedmore, “You’ll either get the result you wanted or the lesson you needed.” Learn to see failures as big, bright, shiny opportunities for your growth. Look at where you’ve gone wrong, where you didn’t get results, where you got in your own way AND celebrate your wins, no matter how small. 

Align with your vision

What is your vision for your personal life? What is your vision for your professional life, for your business? Understand what it takes to make that happen and design your business and life to support your family, health and joy.

Create your focus (journal on these)

• What can you remove to improve your focus? 
• What are the core areas of focus for you? 
• How can you enable a real kind of depth of focus? 
• How can you handle areas where you’ve struggled differently going forward? 
• What support do you need to ensure focus and forward momentum? 
• How can you support and grow the belief you need in yourself? 

Homework

• Look back at the revenue generating activities we touched on and schedule them in
• Think about how you can simplify to create the space you need
• Look at how you can lock in some laser sharp focus in your business
• Think about how you can implement The Power Of One into your strategy so you’re only focusing on the things that are absolutely right for you. 

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Leave a review:

If you’re loving the show, I would LOVE you to share that love with a review! 

The post Looking Back To Jump Forwards appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.

Welcome to the first in a series of episodes where I’m talking about how you can create your breakthrough business. If you’re doing all the things, are feeling frustrated as everyone around you has big breakthroughs and wondering, “When is it going to be me?” then this series is for you.

Take a listen to this episode about how to create and embody your vision and discover the method I used when we wanted to buy our dream home last year. (And make sure you listen to the end for some super practical home work that can be a real game-changer in your business).

Listen to this episode here.

Takeaways from this show:

Give yourself permission to think big 

Without a vision you’ve got nothing to work towards. I see a lot of people fall down because, without a clear vision, they end up doing things that aren’t aligned. But if you’re clear on where you’re heading, you can create a roadmap to get there. 

Become aware of what those “yeah, but” stories 

When you’re dreaming big, don’t ignore those thoughts of “yeah, but I’m too old/not good enough/can’t really do that”, which are simply stories you’re telling yourself in an attempt to stay safe. Get clear on the fears that arise and remember that they are the result of your past – not your future.

Rewire your brain for success

Take those stories and replace, “I’m not good enough” with “I’m good enough to achieve X, Y, and Z.” Or, “I’m not smart enough” with “I’m smart enough to achieve X, Y, Z”.

Challenge your thoughts with possibilities

What if it were easy? 

What would I choose if I wasn’t afraid? 

Every client that leaves me is replaced tenfold. 

Every pound I spend comes back tenfold.

What if I’m enough already? 

What if my worth wasn’t attached to my outcome? 

What has been has no relation to what will be.

Create the environment for your vision

Believe anything is possible and seek proof from others by finding people that have done it. That way you’re proving to your brain that this can actually happen.

The release and receive effect

Release anything that doesn’t support your vision, e.g. past hurts, grudges, fears, stories, beliefs, habits, actions, behaviours, etc and then choose to receive what supports the vision.

Choose powerful affirmations (and repeat them regularly)

I choose for this to be easy. 

I am open to and worthy of abundance. 

I choose calm instead of stress. 

I am open to receive.

I can easily make more money without working any harder. 

By making more money, I can work less. 

Act from the vision now 

If you want different, you have to be, do and feel different. You have to show up differently because if you show up as you always have, you’re just going to get more of the same. Be of value because it starts to make you believe in your work and what you can do. Step into the leader you need to be in the vision now. 

Create supporting habits and behaviours

Think about self care, time to think and create, mindset work, doing things in your business that help you move forward, and the systems, routines and processes that will help you to do the right things consistently to get you to where you want to be. And above all, see your vision, embody it, and make the decision to go all in on it.

Refine your vision 

Get practical and refine your vision so it feels feasible. Decide on exactly what it is you want and a timeline for achieving it. What do you need to have done in 6 months/9 months/1 year to support your vision? Keep it to core goals only, that help you stay committed to your vision.

Homework 

1. Write down your vision as if it’s already happened. Describe it, feel it, embody it, really understand what that feels like. If resistant appears, ask for it to step aside and allow you to be in the vision. 
2. Reframe your resistance by replacing each negative with a positive. 
3. Write down three affirmations that help to support you. Put them everywhere! On post-it notes, your phone, your mirror, and keep repeating them until they become true.
4. Use these morning journal prompts to support you:

• Affirm: I choose to release. I choose to receive. 
• Repeat your chosen affirmations
• Practice forgiveness (of yourself and others)
• Gratitude list
• Future you visioning (write about your vision as if it’s already happened, as if it’s now).

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The post Creating The Vision appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.

But here’s the truth: In order to take the leaps needed to be a truly successful entrepreneur, you simply have to learn to trust yourself.

In this episode of Be the change, I’m joined by biz mentor Ruth Ridgeway, to talk about learning to listen to your own gut and intuition alongside your coach or mentor’s advice (instead of putting someone else’s advice above your own wisdom)

Be the change is a mini-series here on The Simply Smart Business Show where I get down to it with leaders in the online business world to talk about the problems facing our industry today and (most importantly) how we can create the changes we want to see.

Listen to this episode here.

Takeaways from this show:

• Listen to your own inner wisdom. Take the guidance of trusted mentors and coaches but also make sure you’re in alignment with your values, how you want to grow your business and your own instincts.

• In the early days of business it’s easy to doubt yourself and wonder if you can do business your own way. Despite the noise online claiming that if you follow some specific steps you’ll get a specific result, the truth is that there is no one formula for success. 

• Don’t give away your power by becoming codependent on a mentor or coach and stop thinking for yourself. Too many people are doing course after course, and hiring mentor after mentor and never actually go out and try things for themselves.

• Just because you’ve heard that Webinars or challenges or Instagram are the way to get new clients, it doesn’t mean it’s what’s in alignment with you. E.g. Webinars may not be for you if you’re an amazing writer and can connect with your audience with storytelling instead. When you take too much outside advice you can start doubting yourself.

• Self doubt can show up in false beliefs such as, “Oh well I’m just obviously crap at business,” rather than, “I’m not in alignment with this activity and it doesn’t light me up, so I’m going to try something else”. Don’t blame yourself when something doesn’t work and use it as an excuse to hide your talent.

• Start with yourself first and know where your strengths and weaknesses are so you can identify gaps. If you know you’re a good writer but your writing isn’t converting into sales, you can see that’s a weak spot and maybe hiring somebody or buying a course that will do that specific thing is the right next step.

How to trust your own guidance: 

• When you make decisions that are out of alignment, it’s usually coming from a fear based place, e.g. “I don’t know enough”, “I’m not good enough”, “I’m not qualified enough”. Practice tuning into the mind, heart and gut for guidance on your decisions and see what comes up.
• Ask simple questions. E.g. what would feel really easy right now? What would be fun right now? Or what would feel really simple right now? How would it feel really fun to market my business? How would it feel to book more clients? Come at it from a playful and curious space.

Listen to this episode here.

More on Ruth here: 

Ruth Ridgeway is a Business Mentor helping women let go of fear, doubt and uncertainty and build their business from a place of love.

Ruth’s also a fierce advocate for self love (it’s where it all starts) and learning to be kinder to yourself each day.

Find her free 10 Day Self Love Challenge to kickstart your own self love journey here : www.ruthxo.com/challenge

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Leave a review:

If you’re loving the show, I would LOVE you to share that love with a review! 

The post Lets talk about Self Trust appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.

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She was in my mastermind, and had upgraded to have one to ones with me. For various reasons she couldn’t take the final two calls, so I told her we could bundle them up and she could have two hours with me when she needs it.

We had that session this week, around 3 months after she left. We used it as a creative session, and came up with so many ideas for her 2020 plans. I loved it!

But at one point she paused and said she needed to thank me for honouring those calls as many business coaches wouldn’t.
I was surprised.

It felt the most natural thing in the world for me to honour that. It felt right. It’s just how I do things.

It got me thinking about how people are treated after they work with someone.

After the money stops.

Because this says everything.

Thing is, once my clients are in my world, they’re IN my world.

I want to stay connected with them, see them grow, see the results of our work months, years after we stopped working together.

I keep recommending them to people when I think they’re the right fit.

I hire them myself.

I send quick tips I think they need.

I’ve run something with a partner over a year after it had been bought, because it was in integrity to do so.

I recruit them to become my coaches on my programs and masterminds (all coaches so far are ex clients).

Of course there are some exceptions where I need to have boundaries when people leave, have broken contracts or act in a way that doesn’t align with my values, but that’s a tiny percentage.

Because I want to be there.

In fact I’ve had people leave my mastermind early and I’ve still honoured bonus’s they’d won – because I knew they needed them.

When people invest in me they get more than the thing they’re buying. So much more.

And I don’t say this in a ‘well aren’t I just a saint!’ kinda way. Believe me, I’m far from perfect and have made mistakes along the way. But it’s my journey and learnings that have made me who I am today. Have made me want to create relationships that extend beyond the end of the contract.

I take investments in me seriously, I’m here to deliver, to serve, to support – not just to make money.

Soon I’ll be opening up my alumni group for all ex clients, which I announced to my graduating Elevators over two months ago and they’ve been patiently sitting in the ‘join this group’ holding space for me to open the ‘Connect • Give• Grow’ Facebook Group (soon lovelies, I’ve been getting my house in order).

To other ex clients, I’ll be chatting more about this soon.

It felt right to create this, because I genuinely care and want to be connected after the money stops. I want to be able to offer them things first, to continue working with them when it’s right, but more than that – just to stay connected and share any opportunities I find with them.

Connection is one of my words for 2020, and I’m making a lot of changes to make that happen. Scaling doesn’t mean you have to lose that and I’m currently designing new, creative ways to deepen that connection, while still scaling.

Because at the end of the day, we’re all humans who crave connection.

P.s. If you need help growing or scaling your business, here are a few ways I can do that:

1. To get clear on what you need to focus on for your level of business, take my online business quiz click here

2. To join my free community full of super smart business owners and entrepreneurs, head to the Simply Smart Business Facebook Group right here

3. Want to work with me either one to one or in one of my masterminds? Check out the options here

4. Or if you’d prefer one of my programs, go here

5. If you’re not sure and you’re already at the pre or post six figure mark looking to take your established business to the next level, then book an Alignment Call to chat it through with me right here

The post After the money stops appeared first on Online Business Coach, Mentor + Growth Strategist.