I’m in a truth-telling mood.
There’s a lot of business advice out there that doesn’t quite ring true so I decided to kick off 2013 with a blog post that clears up some of those myths.
As you embark – or continue – on the wild and wonderful journey of self-employment, I wonder if you’ve heard these…
Myth #1: People don’t value things they get for free
This advice has a basis in truth. It’s certainly unwise to give too much of your core service away for free, or drop your prices un-strategically.
However, the problem is when you take this rule of thumb too far and start holding back your genius and wisdom. You don’t respond to a question on a forum because it feels like giving away your crown jewels. You feel you have to protect your ideas and approach. You worry that if you give a solid taster of your work, people will think that’s all you’ve got and won’t feel the need to come back and pay for more.
We see this kind of protectiveness on websites where visitors only have one option: buy or don’t buy. A far more effective website for a service professional is one where you share your expertise for free through strategic methods: blogs, talks, articles, videos, teleclasses and webinars. These all fall under the banner of content marketing and they help take strangers through to paying clients.
When you’re generous with your expertise, you help prospective clients decide whether to work with you. People do value freebies which showcase that you empathize with their needs and have helped others like them. Then, when they’re aching for more than you can broadcast through your general marketing, be sure to sign-post them to where to go next – that is, your paid-for products and services.
(Not sure where on earth to start with content marketing? Blogging is a huge passion of mine and I’m currently cooking up a How to Blog to Get Clients masterclass for this year – watch this space!)
Myth #2: Be wary of your competition
Every time I hear the word “competition” used in relation to business, there’s a jarring effect. It doesn’t match up in my mind; it’s like people are talking about a different business world from the one I see.
Instead, I encourage you to see yourself as part of a wider movement. Who are your colleagues, your peers, your partners in crime?
Three of mine, who I refer to most often, are Jac McNeil, Mark Silver and Tad Hargrave. They all do work in the same general arena as me (conscious business, authentic marketing, helping service professionals/solopreneurs), so technically could be called “competition”, but I’ve only seen there to be mutual benefit from referring to each other. They sometimes get clients because I rave about them, I sometimes get clients because they tell people about me. Each of us has a different flavour and a different set of services on offer so we complement each other, rather than compete.
That person or organization you’ve been seeing as competition – how could you be of mutual benefit to each other?
Myth #3: Don’t go into business with friends and family
Like the classic film-making advice to not work with animals and small children, people say it’s a recipe for disaster to work with people you know.
Absolutely – if you hire someone just because you know them and you aren’t clear on boundaries or expectations or how it’s all going to work, it can become a minefield. But hire the right person and you can create a dream team.
Here at You Inspire Me, our Tech Genius is my good friend Daniel James Paterson. He’s a social entrepreneur in his own right who recently won a Manufacturing Leadership 100 award as well as a £20,000 award to support his work with SolarAid. He also happens to be the perfect strategic partner for my business and is a whizz with the tech stuff, leaving me free to focus on what I most love. (You’ll meet him if you’re coming to the You Inspire Me Community Meet-Up event on 17th January.)
So, if someone you know happens to be a brilliant web developer, photographer or accountant, perhaps don’t be so hasty in looking elsewhere.
Myth #4: You need a super shiny website and massive list to run a profitable business
At the last count, I have 1,703 people subscribed to my email list (which we manage through professional list software provider, AWeber). That’s a relatively modest list size and even while I was growing this list with far lower numbers, I’ve been able to run a profitable business. Size matters less than what you do with it, as they say.
My current website, considered beautiful when it launched in 2008, started to look pretty outdated in the last few years. A fresh new header perked it up and soon you’ll see the launch of a brand new You Inspire Me online home sneak preview here). The rebrand is very exciting and will help take the business to the next level. However, the existing site has supported me in enrolling hundreds of enthusiastic clients over the years so a strong, cohesive visual brand was not the make-or-break element for profitability.
You can absolutely get clients in spite of your website flaws and in spite of being in the beginning stages of gathering a community of interested people if you focus your business on meeting needs – in other words, actually offering what your Tribe want and need and are ready to buy.
Myth #5: When you do what you love, you’ll always love it
I coach people on how to get clients but I also help them to un-get clients. Shock announcement: human beings aren’t always fun to work with. You can find you’re following your passion but still enrolling clients who seem to be draining the very life force from you and who you’re eager to finish with.
This can create a vicious circle – you might then hold yourself back from marketing because deep down you don’t actually want clients. (Identify with this?)
Yes, you can sharpen up your enrollment process and screen better for your ideal clients, but now and again someone might slip through the net who presses all your buttons and makes you wonder why you quit your day job.
And while your friends and family are looking at your autonomous lifestyle with envy, the reality is that you dread certain aspects of being self-employed; the path includes painfully steep learning curves around accounts, technology, rejection, visibility, hiring other people, and much more.
Running your own business is not all roses, so let’s bust that myth. Be compassionate with yourself, bear with the dips, delegate tasks you find draining, and reach out for support.
–
So, there are a few myths I wanted to shine a light on, to help you navigate your way into 2013. Now I’d love to hear from you:
Which business myths have you bought into that haven’t served you? Any of these pieces of advice you believe actually are true? And any other myths you’ve stumbled upon that you’d like to bust for us all here?
As ever, leave a comment below, let us know.
© Corrina Gordon-Barnes 2013
This is brilliant Corrina. I am 100% behind everything you’ve shared here so eloquently and so clearly.
I especially love the invitation of looking around at folks in the same industry as we are as our peers and that we are all part of a greater movement. That feels connected, cohesive, and collaborative to me. When I see my working world through this lens I feel expansive and generous and open. That’s the way I want to do business.
Thank you for being so generous, loving and value-aligned in your work. Knowing you as been a pivotal part of my own entrepreneurial journey.
I love you soul-sister,
Jac xo
So much love to you, Jac. Working solo doesn’t feel solo with friends like you to reach out to – and thanks to the wonders of video Skype, a big old ocean doesn’t even get in the way
when i was a kid, my mom suggested i go into business for myself: “you’ll get to decide when to work, you can go to the movies in the afternoon if you want.” yup, thanks, mom, i can decide what 12 hours to work each day…
total myth. thankfully i’m not working 12 hour days anymore, and because it is what i love, i don’t mind when i do. and i can go to a movie in the middle of the day…
David Kaiser´s last [type] ..Entrepreneurs Create Value, A Tale of Cigars and Coffee
David – latest movie?…
First of all, I am an advocate and great lover of truth. Second, as someone just breaking into this market, these are awesome myths to put to rest. We all have ‘nay-sayers’ on our shoulders sometimes, and this article has really made me sigh out loud. I mean….intrinsically, hey, we know this. But sometimes, seeing the proof out loud, makes all the difference!! Thank you for writing this and being awesome!
Love and light
Brandy Shaw´s last [type] ..Heartlines
My absolute pleasure, Brandy – I hear your sigh
Wow, the new branding is perfecion! As to your post, I have found the learning involved to be such a thrill and such a scare. Stuff I have never even thought about before are now part of my life. Some I enjoy, some not so much but it is a thrilling journey! Thanks for such a great post to start the year
claire´s last [type] ..New Year Resolution!
Claire – The new branding is beautiful, huh? Thank you! (And massive thanks to the team at Flourish.)
Thanks again for a lovely blog Corrina – wishing you happy new year with a wonderfully happy exciting new branding.
The thing about any advice given about business is that it is all only hypothetical until tested – especially so for solo-preneurs for which following one’s own passion and truth is the guiding light. All other advice can be gratefully received and meditated upon with discernment! I have experienced all of the 5 myths above to be untrue and continue to make it up as I go along!
Blessings to you and to the wonderful Inspiring community here
Love
Katiex
Katie – Happy new year blessings to you
I really like this post, Corrina. Is informative, feels authentic and totally at ease with yourself. Looks good too
Happy New Year!
Annie´s last [type] ..Accept Yourself: Love You Or Loathe You, You ARE You
Thanks gorgeous Annie – hope to see you soon and wish you a happy new year in person. Have you got 18th April in your diary for the next You Inspire Me Community Meet-Up??
I had a free coaching session with a man who told me I would be poor if I followed my passion…and I would be working long hours for little money….that was 6 months ago or so, I ignored him and carrying on with my career change ….trusting my inner guidance…I hope I am right and he is wrong…
Love the new website…so bright, colorful and fun!!
Have you read The Artist’s Way by Julie Cameron? I do every year as a reminder against that thinking. I express my creativity through the way I help clients (practical help in a fun way) and being so creative means I may not have an artistic career, but I understand it! What I love about Corrina’s work is she combines how to make a good living in areas that society often doesn’t reward. That’s a true skill! The comments on her posts are how I find the professionals I want to use myself in future, or refer to clients (since I often get to hear about their life troubles because of what I do).
Rosie Slosek @1ManBandAccts´s last [type] ..Grow your business: put yourself in the path of opportunities
Rosie – I like to go where others fear to tread
Love that you’re making connections through fellow blog commenters – and you’ll be meeting many in person at the next community meet-up.
Lisa – It might start that way (long hours, little money) but that’s about building a community and finding your voice and establishing your position. That’s exciting territory, it’s not brow-wiping toil and the money does soon follow; passion is an energy that, when well channelled through you, is met in exchange by the energy of money through others.
You’ll be able to send that man a nice little note one day, maybe free HIM up to follow his true passion too
Excellent blog Corinna. Thank you. I,too have experienced much of what you talk about especially myth #5. As much as I love what I do, sometimes a client will come along who claims to want to change but no matter what, will not bother to do so. Fortunately the ‘good’ ones make up for them! However, I always learn new things about myself in the process so it isn’t so bad…..and being the boss means I can ‘fire’ them if I want to!! Thanks for all the great information, I really appreciate it and all the best for 2013!
Sue x
Sue, I’ve found, if someone sets off your ‘radar’ when they enquire, to give them a small amount of help for free, and then see what they do. In general, the clients I dont’ want to have email me a lot with stream of consciousness, and the ones I want to have, email me once to give me an update of what happened and take some care about punctuation and paragraphs etc. Thinking of it that way helps me to decide before hand (because I am really bad at firing clients!).
Rosie Slosek @1ManBandAccts´s last [type] ..10 Surprising Ways An Accountant Can Benefit Your Micro Business
Sue – It’s one of the most liberating aspects of self-employment: that we can say no to a client when our sense is that it’s not the right match. And increasingly I see we must do this, so we can keep our energy buoyant and available for those right-match clients.
Hi Corrina, happy new year!
Some interesting food for thought, especially the bit about competition – I’ve been thinking this for a while and I totally agree. We are all unique in what we have to offer. Another thing it has made me think is, just start small. Or rather, just start!
Amen, sister! Good to see you here Esther.
Happy New Year Corrina,
the sneak preview looks very nice – can’t wait for your new website!
Warm wishes,
Franziska
Thanks Franziska! Clarity and order were two of the qualities we brought through – so you’ll appreciate those
I Relate to all you are saying here, I love showcasing other Artists that inspire me knowing they will inspire others. I have so much to learn and master to bring inspired energy Art where I see it going within me but its started, its off the ground thanks to your book and with people like you in the world the journey into self employment is not so daunting… Thank you for sharing your truths & wisdom
My total pleasure, Genevieve. I loved seeing the photo of you with your copy of the book, all paint-splattered and well-thumbed. Here you are towards the bottom of this page:
http://youinspireme.co.uk/passion-to-profit-book/
I really don’t like the word competition, it makes me twitch. It implies people who are out to get you and break your business. Sometimes that’s true for big business, but for us? No, not so much.
I’m ‘in competition’ with every accountancy business in the country, as the bigger businesses won’t say they don’t understand how a one man band business runs in the real world, and having your business income as your own income makes business decisions a bit different. I want one man band clients who want a holistic life, like to work hard, but don’t make a mantra of it, and often, on a healing learning journey. Now that is great fun
I learn from them, and they learn how to fit the tax/records side around what they need, and not the other way round.
Actually, I’m really pleased you posted all of these points. It can be very difficult sometimes to remember how true they are, when yet another article or post says it, and I find myself getting stressed again because unconsciously I’ve taken it in. No, I say no! (Prints blog post out and stick on wall)
Rosie Slosek @1ManBandAccts´s last [type] ..Cashflow starts with the letter C
“The word competition makes me twitch” = great blog post title!
I love that you learn from your ideal clients too. That reciprocity and interdependence is enlivening.
Love knowing we’re up on your wall
I wonder if the next myth is the one I am actually trying to tackle: that being a solopreneur is lonely. I think there is something of the truth in it – you and only you are responsible for everything. But I note that Corrina speaks of three others who refer business to one another, and I know she finds others to work with, learn from and teach in many ways. I would like to grow my regular circle of peers too. Anyone know inspiring people in Bucks / Oxon? Send them my way.
Devi´s last [type] ..Have you already given up on your New Year’s Resolution?
Ooh great call out, Devi. I know there are others in your area who read this blog – I guess they can contact you via your website by clicking your name on your comment.
Also, with the Community Meet-Ups thriving in London, I’m curious about how they’d work in other areas. If you fancy bringing the You Inspire Me roadshow to Bucks/Oxon, let me know
Yes, I’d welcome that roadshow over here! Let’s talk about how and when. Devi x
Devi´s last [type] ..Have you already given up on your New Year’s Resolution?
Competition vs collaboration has been on my mind lately. I’ve really loved seeing the ways you and the people you mention above model collaboration, abundance, and trust.
In the birth world there’s a mix of genuine love and service – but there’s also a darker side, that manifests in competitiveness and a scarcity mentality (and actually sometimes harder things as well). I see the reality of how these things work as mutually constructed…there’s a flow for sure, with each of us sending out our visions / threads…what I see in my community is that there is some healing that needs to happen for this collaborative / abundant model to be fully embraced.
Rebecca´s last [type] ..Anche le stelle…
Rebecca – I imagine that’s painful for the birth support community. The irony is that there really IS no scarcity of people needing support with giving birth! And because the support you each offer is so intensive, there needs to be a lot of practitioners to adequately meet needs (and provide back-up for each other, etc.) AND because doula-ing is still not fully known about in the mainstream, there needs to be collective education. It’s similar to coaching – the more coaches there are out there, the more people know about coaching and therefore the more people who think it’s normal to hire a coach.
We did once mention the idea of me running a workshop or giving a talk for the birth support community – do let me know if you want to pursue that…
And see you tomorrow at the community meet-up
Couldn’t agree more especially about ‘our competition’ I always tend to think of other massage therapists as my colleagues that I can learn and grow from and I hope they do the same with me, as obviously they have the same passion as me, they may work in a different way from me which is exactly why they are not competition:) xx
Leanne – And it’s a dream scenario when you can refer your not-right client to them, and likewise they to you. Anyone out there got any tattoo artists with RSI? Send them to Leanne! – see:
http://youinspireme.co.uk/2011/how-to-promote-yourself/
Jac McNeil just introduced me to your work, Corrina, and I am so glad she did. This post puts into writing so much of what I believe to be true and touches on many of the reasons I decided to go into business for myself. I think it should be required reading for solopreneurs!
Devi mentioned another possible myth that really resonated with me. Myth #6: Being a solopreneur is lonely.
When I first started my business, I felt that way too. Everyone I knew worked a traditional job in an office setting. I didn’t know any successful solopreneurs. But an interesting thing started to happen as I met more and more people through social media. I discovered a number of women in business for themselves who live right in my neck of the woods. We got together for dinner a couple of times and the energy was fabulous! So, we formed our own mastermind group. We meet once a month for 1/2 day, keep in touch between meetings with a private Facebook group and try to plan social gatherings a few times a year. And we regularly remind each other that we don’t have to do this alone and that help is available if we just ask for it (which can be rather terrifying and energizing at the same time).
Here’s to busting all of those myths out of the water!
Erica
Erica Holthausen´s last [type] ..Fab 5: Introducing My Virtual Bookshelf
Erica – What a fantastic model you’ve created. I know many others reading this will want to do something similar – any top tips for what’s made it work so well?
I’d be happy to answer questions! I actually wrote a piece for Upmarket about creating a Mastermind Group last month, but it was a bit more formal. I started out by inviting a group of women out to dinner so we could all just meet and chat and know that we aren’t alone. After getting together twice, it was pretty clear that we could all use the support. So, I sent an email and set an initial meeting at my house. We came up with a name, meeting schedule and basic agenda. Over the last year, it’s evolved in ways that I never would have expected and these women have become close personal friends. If I were to offer just one piece of advice, it would be to hold your vision for your group gently. What started out as a meeting to talk about our businesses evolved, and today we talk about our businesses, our relationships, and anything else where we need a little support and encouragement.
Erica Holthausen´s last [type] ..Stepping Up
Thanks Corrina! As always both highly useful and refreshingly inspiring!
Mark – My pleasure
And fantastic to see you twice this week – lucky me.
Hi Corrina, I thoroughly enjoyed this post. I agree with you that all these myths are myths — but there’s enough truth in them to proceed with caution and balance!
I’m curious about finding an alternative word to ‘competitor’. Like you shared, I see my ‘competitors’ as partners in service, helping a similar niche or using similar techniques with our own flavour. I’ve heard other words brandied around (coopetition = cooperation + competition), but surely there’s a better word out there?
Erin – How about “allies”? You can think about “strategic alliances” where you deliberately make associations with people you can pass business to or vice versa. There’s also the feeling of being aligned with, allied with, those who swim in the same waters.
Allies — I like that! Thanks Corrina
Erin´s last [type] ..Protected: Erin’s Vision Page for Jan 2013