Whaaaaat?!?!  I can’t believe it’s been FOUR YEARS since Biz Women Rock began.  In February 2014, I launched the first episode of the Biz Women Rock podcast…a podcast that would immediately attract the most incredible, ambitious women entrepreneurs I have ever had the privilege of knowing (that would be YOU), whom I get to connect with every day.  A podcast that would give birth to an entire BUSINESS MODEL for me that allows me to work from anywhere, build meaningful relationships with fellow biz women, lean into my gifts as a writer, communicator, leader and supporter of women, be home with my daughter a lot, spend quality time with my entrepreneurial hubs and provides prosperity for me and my family.  All in all…it’s provided me the opportunity to live my life by MY DESIGN.  

 

And no…I had no idea this is where I would be when I put my first episode out into the world 4 years ago!

 

Have you ever heard the saying amongst parents that goes, “the years are short, but the days are long?”  That’s how I feel about business.  In so many ways, I feel like I’m just getting air under my wings to take off (and that that process is sloooooow in the making!).  And in other ways, I feel so far beyond anything I possibly could have imagined 4 years ago!

 

In celebration of this milestone, I wanted to share with you just FOUR of the biggest lessons I’ve learned so far on my Biz Women Rock journey, in hopes that it will give you a bit of an insight into just how raw and imperfect it has been and so I can truly honor YOU for being a part of it…heck, for being the reason I’m here 4 years later!

 

 

LESSON #1: TAKE FAST AND PURPOSEFUL ACTION

 

In the past four years, I have launched a lot of things, all with a deep desire to find the ideal marriage of GIVING VALUE to you and LIVING IN MY GIFTS (that’s what I call Business Bliss!).  Online courses, live group programs, challenges, Masterminds, Coaching, the Academy…the list goes on.  And as I look back, the lesson I can see staring me in the face is this: I wish I would have taken action FASTER.  I wish I would have not hesitated so much.  I wish I would have not let fear or anxiety or self-doubt keep me in holding patterns for so long before I finally took action.  

 

But let me be clear…”fast action” does not mean “ready, fire, aim” to me.  It doesn’t mean walking aimlessly into a new endeavor.  Because I have also learned that just taking action – without a strategic and purposeful reason behind it – can just cause a lot of anxiety, chaos and ultimately…a hell of a lot of TIME…the one commodity we never get back.  

 

When I launched the Biz Women Rock podcast, I had no idea what I was doing.  I knew I was in love with business.  And I knew that I loved supporting women.  And my podcast was going to be the way that I brought those two loves together.  I never thought about what I wanted to do with it.  I never spent time visioning about what could be because of it.  I never even considered a strategic business model (other than…launch a podcast, get some sponsors).  And while I don’t regret anything I did in those early years, if I were to do it all over again, I would approach that podcast with so much more INTENTION.  

 

Luann Nigara of A Well Designed Business was recently on the podcast (her episode is here: http://bizwomenrock.com/transition-new-phase-business-luann-nigara-window-works/) and she is such a great example of what it looks like to be intentional and purposeful and strategic with any new business endeavor!  

 

I would have done THAT.

 

Not because I would have followed that plan perfectly (let’s be honest, at the beginning of ANY business endeavor, we’re all clueless about what’s ahead!), but because it would have forced me to be more efficient with my marketing, my actions, my money and ultimately, with my time.  

 

It would have brought me to where I am a LOT faster.  And that, combined with taking FAST ACTION, is a recipe for crazy awesome success!

 

 

LESSON #2: DEVELOP YOUR SALES SKILLS

 

Oh girl.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard “I hate selling!” or “I suck at selling!” from my community members.  And all the while I would give very wise advice that looked like “give, give, give…then sell,” or “your customers will sell for you if you do a great job for them!”  I call the bullshit flag on this one…I was wrong.  Well…not wrong…just incomplete.  

 

Selling is the ability to tap your ideal customer on the shoulder, offer her / him exactly what they want and need by communicating effectively and giving it to them as they happily give you money for it.  

 

SELLING IS A SKILL that we all need to develop.  

 

Because selling, my dear, is where the rubber meets the road…it’s where the dollars come in and communicate to you that you are doing a great job, that you are providing value to people who need it, that you are solving problems in an effective way.  

 

Selling is how you make a profit.

 

And if you’re not making a profit in your business, something needs to shift NOW.

 

One of the stand out books I’ve read over the past few years is called THE GOAL .  The foundational concept is that the #1 goal of any business is to make a PROFIT.  Which can seem a little callused, right?  Especially if you are like me and in business to make a difference in the world.  I mean, isn’t the goal of my business to improve the business journeys of women all around the globe?  Isn’t the purpose to be a light to you so I can help you see how AMAZING you are so you can truly live BIG?  Isn’t the purpose to build a team of incredible people who are financially supported by such an amazing company?  Isn’t the goal to give to causes that are important to me and that help others?

 

Of course.  But if you are not PROFITABLE, then you cannot do any of these things.  The lifeblood of your business is money.  And the way to get money is SALES.

 

It’s worth noting that I have SUCKED at this for a very long time.  It’s only been in the past 2 years that I have challenged myself to put offers out there, to talk about my coaching, to flat out tell women on the phone how life changing I know my Mastermind will be for them and that I would do them a disservice if I didn’t encourage them to join now!

 

The more I practice, the better I become.  The more effective I am at communicating to you how AMAZING these resources I’ve created for you are.  Because I BELIEVE in them!  Because I see they work for your peers!  Because I want to give you everything you could possibly need to ensure you have true business bliss!  (you see?  Not so bad after hating selling 4 years ago, eh?) 😉  

 

So, develop your skills as a SALES PERSON.  As someone who can intelligently and effectively communicate how YOUR product or service is exactly what your ideal customer wants and needs!

 

 

LESSON #3: YOU BE YOU

 

This might be THE biggest lesson of all.  And it’s a lesson I keep learning over and over and over again.  

 

I was a guest on another podcast recently and the host asked me, “Katie, you’ve worked with thousands of business women at this point in some way…what do you see as the biggest thing that stands in their way of success?”

 

Without hesitation, I answered…

 

“Ourselves.”

 

Hands down the biggest challenge we women entrepreneurs have (myself included here) is our own internal thoughts and beliefs that are keeping us from true success.

 

Self-Doubt.  Hesitation.  Blocks.  Limiting beliefs.  Fear.  Comparison.  “Should-do’s.”  Ooooh, girl…it’s all there.  

So much of the work to be done along our journeys is the personal development it takes to deal with this junk head on so we can transform ourselves – and our businesses – into what we’re meant to be!

 

And the way to do this is to go deep inside and know YOU.  So that when a new business idea comes up or money gets tight or an employee quits or something drastic in our industry changes, we know what to do.  

 

It’s business done from the inside out.  It’s being INTENTIONAL with every move we make.

 

But it’s also so much more than that.  When you embody the concept of You Be You, of letting YOU be your guide, then creating and executing business growth strategies becomes ridiculously easy.  

 

You’re able to easily answer the most basic questions in business…

 

Who am I?

What are my gifts?

Who is my ideal customer?

What are my offerings and how are they unique?  

What are the features and benefits of my offerings?

How am I currently attracting customers that works?

Where are my customers and what are creative ways I can get their attention?

What experience do I want my customers to have with me?

 

You see where I’m going with this?

 

This is personal branding, business branding and marketing at its core.  And unfortunately, this is the exact opposite of how most of us create our business growth strategies.  

 

Typically, we do it by looking outside of ourselves.  By looking at what others are doing that’s working.  By mimicking “successful” people in our industry.  By hungrily buying every single course and book and webinar out there to learn about strategies that sound so good!  

 

Acquiring more education and looking for great models of success is not a bad thing.  But consuming all that information without a strong sense of who YOU are, what YOUR vision is, what YOUR strategic advantage is, what YOUR customers and soon to be customers desire…that’s when it becomes a mind-spinning, anxiety-producing, fear-based experience that feels SO DRAINING.

 

That’s when we start to work around the clock to “keep up.”  That’s when we freeze for days, weeks or even months at a time to put something out there into the world because we are paralyzed by fear.  That’s when we start comparing ourselves to everyone else in our industry.  That’s when we start listening to that voice in our head that there’s no way we can make a lot of money and do what we love…that it just can’t be that easy…that we have to work hard for it and it has to be a journey filled with suffering.

 

I know this because I’m ON that journey.  And if you’ve listened to my podcast long enough or been a part of the Biz Women Rock Facebook Group, then you’ve already seen YOU BE YOU in action!  You already know that I am often spiraling down into low moments as I try to “figure it out,” and that the ONLY way I get out of these low moments is to go deep inside ME for the answers.  And moreover, the more I get connected to ME, the less I experience the low moments!

 

When you totally own the concept of You Be You, you get that all the answers to the success you crave are already inside of you.

 

 

LESSON #4: GET HELP & SUPPORT!

 

It took me a loooooooong time to get help from others.  Because I was honestly terrified that if others saw the mess inside my business (and inside my head), then they would lose all respect for me.  It would confirm my biggest fear that I’m not good enough.  

 

This prevented me from hiring team members, investing in coaches, joining courses and even participating in Masterminds or accountability groups.  

 

Which meant that my growth was 100% up to me.  

 

Which meant that my growth was slooooooooooow.

 

Now this may sound contrary to the lesson of You Be You, but it’s not.  Because when know yourself, then you know where you have a skill deficit, or strategy deficit or accountability deficit and you can seek out others who can support you or train you.  You approach outside help as a way to enhance your journey.  

 

Okay, back to my slow growth.

 

My season for slow growth was before Biz Women Rock.  So, when I started this company, I swore to myself that I would actively seek out support and help so I could grow FAST and PURPOSEFULLY.

 

So I joined a Mastermind.  

 

And then hired a coach.

 

And hired a team.

 

And invested – and continue to invest – in courses.

 

And read great books.

 

And have had a few accountability partners.

 

And go to conferences.

 

And guess what?

 

My growth has been fast!  (And a hell of a lot more enjoyable!)

 

So take on lesson #3 of You Be You and then seek out the help and support you need!

 

 

BONUS LESSON: BE GRATEFUL

 

You are a high performing, ambitious woman entrepreneur and you’re always moving, achieving, reaching.  And I love you for that.  

 

But take time to be GRATEFUL for who you are and what you have NOW.  Because it is the key for living in business bliss – for truly enjoying and appreciating every step of this crazy journey.

 

I am grateful for YOU.  Because 4 years ago, all I knew was that I wanted to talk to YOU.  I wanted to support YOU.  I wanted to help you shine in any way I could.  And no matter if you’ve been listening to this show that entire time or this is your first episode, I am SO GRATEFUL you’ve let me into your life and connect with you.  

 

Happy 4 year anniversary to Biz Women Rock…a podcast, a community, a business, a movement that is here for YOU.

Big thanks to all the fabulous ladies who shared their wisdom in today’s episode!

 

Yana Bluehouse, Nizhoni Transformations​

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