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00:00:01
My Top 5 Business Tips!
25 Plays4 months ago
A client asked me recently for my Top 5 Tips… which I will share in this episode developed after investing a lot of money myself in taking intensive long term courses in business & entrepreneurship… combined with the learning through my lived experience of over 25+ years of ‘Doing Business to My Own Beat’, through all the trials & errors, tweaking & trying again.
Not as a quick solution to all your challenges, but as a reminder of what is important to remember, especially when you hit the DIP, which we all do in our business journey. Often when we hit that dip we’re actually very close to reaching the next peak in our journey.
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Intro & Outro Music: Shaman Dance by slavamusic
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Transcript
00:00:00
Speaker
Do you desire to turn your passion into income? Connect with other creative souls who also dance to the beat of their own drum? I'm Marie Nicole
Marie Nicole's Vision: Embracing Uniqueness
00:00:09
Speaker
and I'm devoted to combining beauty, uniqueness and connection in everyday living experiences. As a creative professional and Dharma coach, I help people connect to the truth of who they are and facilitate them in embodying their uniqueness. It is my hope in this podcast that I inspire you to live your life on your terms and earn your income through being uniquely you.
00:00:33
Speaker
After all, it's the unique thread that we each contribute to the collective tapestry that creates the home.
Top Business Tips Inquiry
00:00:48
Speaker
A client through the Digital Solutions Program asked me recently for my top five tips. This question has been asked of me in a variety of ways. And a lot. Not just in relation to digital solutions, but also business in general. And it's usually asked with an edge of desperation, followed up with something like, I really need this to work. I have no choice. It has to work. I've invested so much into my business and I'm at a point where I just really need it to work now. What is the answer that you would be looking for if you asked this question?
00:01:27
Speaker
Would you like a quick how-to guide on expediting your business growth? Well, if you've been working at it for a few years and you've had a side hustle or taken a side gig to support you while you build your business and you've been giving it your all, then you're probably on the cusp of making it to that next level and just need a few tips for refining what you were doing. If you're new to business, this episode will hopefully help you you get off on the right foot. So in this episode, I'm going to share with you my top five tips, not as a quick solution to all of your challenges, but as a reminder of what is important to remember, especially when you hit the dip.
00:02:13
Speaker
which we all do in our business journeys. Often when we hit that dip, we're actually not that far away from heading up to the next peak.
Digital Solutions Program Introduction
00:02:22
Speaker
But before sharing my five top tips with you, I want to let you know about the Digital Solutions Program. I'm one of the coaches in that program. And it's one of the ways that you can work with me one to one with very little monetary investment on your part. It's a government funded initiative serving micro and small business owners to support you in your journey. So if you're in New South Wales, Australia, have an ABN and run a for profit micro or small business,
00:02:51
Speaker
Even if you're just starting out for a small fee of $45 plus GST, you can select the All Access option and you get up to four hours of coaching, one to one, focusing specifically on your needs in the digital space. You can also just sign up for the light program which is free and get access to the library of resources and join the community and connect with others travelling the same uncharted borders as you. By signing up to the program through my affiliate link, whichever option you choose, the all access or light, you'll also be supporting the production of this podcast as I receive a small fee for bringing you into the program.
00:03:33
Speaker
If you're not in New South Wales and you would like one to one business and wellness coaching ad hoc, you can book this via the service a rural woman is currently supporting, which with this option it's $121 for a one hour session and you can book it at any time. The difference here is that we can focus on what would be most supportive to you right now in your journey and that may have nothing to do with your digital presence instead focusing on building your confidence or overcoming imposter syndrome.
00:04:05
Speaker
These two introductory level offerings are a great way to experience how how working with a coach can help elevate you out of a dip and up to that next peak of your business journey, focusing specifically on your goals and needs. You'll find the links for these offerings in the show notes.
Marie Nicole's Top Business Tips
00:04:23
Speaker
And so now let me share with you my top five tips for business after investing a lot of money myself in taking long-term intensive courses in business and entrepreneurship, combining that with the learnings that I have acquired through my lived experience of over 25 plus years of doing business to my own beat.
00:04:45
Speaker
Through all the trials and errors, tweaking and trying again, here are the top five tips I have to share with you today.
Aligning Vision with Life Circumstances
00:04:54
Speaker
Number one is know your vision, not just for your business, but for your life. What what does success look like to you? Is it running a multi-million dollar operation with 50 employees, top floor of office with views over the harbour, or is it establishing location freedom, working a few hours a day with a small team of contractors supporting your vision? Is it creating a space that you share with a fleet of other solo printers, supporting and encouraging each other, sharing the expenses of a commercial space?
00:05:28
Speaker
Or is it working predominantly solo from your home-based studio to deliver your offerings, taking a week or two off at a time to fuel your personal desires? When you know what your version of success looks like, you can plan your business offerings and life around it. But you need to first know what success looks like to you, based on your personal desires and needs. So you don't stray off your own path distracted by somebody else's version of success trying to replicate that, only to discover it actually doesn't align with your core values or even what lights you up.
00:06:09
Speaker
It's also important to remember that your vision can change as your life changes and evolves. Over 25 years ago when I started my first business as a portrait photographer, my vision was to one day own a large property where my husband tended to our diverse farm and I had a studio on the property which I had high-end clients fly in and have their portraits taken capturing the essence of who they are in an image. After the birth of my first child, four years after starting that business, at which point I had taken on wedding and commercial photography clients. With weddings booked two years in advance, we decided to move from the inner west of Sydney to the central coast to be closer to family for support in caring for our child while I traveled from the Hunter Valley to Wollongong, often shooting for up to 10 hours a day.
00:07:03
Speaker
Then one day I dropped my son and husband off at the hospital because of a head injury that he had sustained falling off a chair, which had reopened. The wound had reopened. I had a commercial shoot for a wine magazine in the Hunter Valley that day. And as I drove away from the hospital, my heart crumbled. And in that moment, my vision for the future of my business completely changed. To being available for my child and future children. I really wanted to be there with him, but at that time the photography business was our only source of income. It took several years to exit out of that business and start my next. At this point I was completely burnt out, physically and mentally unwell, struggling to fall pregnant again and had given up on even having more children. I decided to take a step back from photography as a service and instead used it as a medium to create art. And then I fell pregnant with my second son.
00:08:03
Speaker
By this point my eldest son was starting school and I was juggling a newborn while transitioning my eldest into a new rhythm, which led me to wipe the slate clean and start a completely new business, one that would allow me to work in and around my children's needs. My version of success looked very different once children were in the picture. This led me to starting my artisanal business. Fast forward almost 25 years with more changes and adaptations along the path, finding myself a single mum living in the country after years of working towards a collective vision based on the needs, wants and desires of a family.
00:08:43
Speaker
to then completely needing to revisit what success looked like for me personally going forward. So while it's important to hold a vision, it's equally as important to realize nothing is set in concrete and our values can change as our life shifts and changes. but the essence of who we are doesn't change. So holding a vision that aligns with who we are and our core values makes it easy to be discerning in our decision making and not compare our version of success to another's. The same can be said for who we choose to work with, which brings me to my next tip.
Understanding Ideal Customers
00:09:20
Speaker
Number two, know your customers or clients who you are serving and how. When you know who you wish to serve and how you wish to serve them, you can speak directly to their needs and desires and present your solutions to their challenges. Creating an ideal customer avatar and speaking to them directly does not exclude other potential clients or customers. It just tightens your messaging. You've probably heard that there's more power in finding your niche than there is as there is less competition in that space. If you're offering something that speaks to the hearts of a small marketplace,
00:10:02
Speaker
and you're one of few businesses that they know of that's offering that unique product, then your customers are going to share that information with others who they think will be interested in what you have to offer. Through my artisanal business, I created one-of-a-kind instrument cases and duffel bags, and they were made from old blankets with a fleece lining. The duffel bags were made from old blankets and kangaroo leather and were also lined in linen. Not your usual materials to have bags made out of. But a year and a half after closing my commercial space, I had a man reach out to me from Queensland saying he had been to my store several years back when he came down for his sister's wedding and he remembered me having these really unique duffel bags in store and wondered if I still had them available.
00:10:51
Speaker
I made them to order. The small bags were $600 which sounds like a lot but to be honest the hours of work that went into making them they weren't a very profitable item to sell but they were definitely a product that attracted a lot of attention. Over the years I made about 20 in total selling them throughout Australia and overseas. I can't even tell you how many instrument cases I've made but there were lots and that I sold those globally too. But the point that I'm making here is I was marketing those items to my ideal retail customer, which was one of the branches of my business offerings in that commercial space. And the statement that described that ideal retail customer was this.
00:11:37
Speaker
Creators nest, caters to creative-minded individuals who wish to connect to the essence of who they truly are, not look like the masses, giving her permission to proudly be herself not confined by current trends. It's a place where she can immerse herself in possibility, connect with other creative-minded souls who also dance to the beat of their own drum. After all, it's a unique thread we each contribute to the collective tapestry that creates the whole. She values the array of uniquely handcrafted wares that speak of her adventurous free-spirited style and appreciates fulfilling her nesting needs, especially important since she enjoys having both roots and wings. That description does not speak to the man who contacted me years after seeing my duffel bag in store, but my product spoke to him and his wife.
00:12:32
Speaker
I custom crafted a bag out of a blanket of his choice and he was so chuffed with it. As soon as it arrived in his home he took a photo and sent it to me. Taking time to really dive into the psychology of your ideal client helps you really speak to their pain points. There will be an episode coming up dedicated to this topic specifically so keep an ear out for that if you'd like to dive in a little deeper on this. I will also be running a webinar in the digital solutions program. So for small business owners in New South Wales, Australia, you can register for that program and get access to the full webinar and other resources to support you in your journey. And remember, if you use my affiliate link, you'll also be supporting the production of this podcast as I receive a little finder's fee for bringing you on board.
00:13:19
Speaker
Now sharing what I've learned over my years of business is something I'm very passionate about which is why I created this podcast in the first place. If you've been a subscriber to this podcast for a while you may have heard me share that I took a break from podcasting as I couldn't afford to sustain it with the current transition I found myself navigating through. But because of the impact and flow and effect it has been having while I was not even producing episodes, this led me to realize just how valuable it is in supporting the vision of my business, which is to serve my ideal coaching client in as many ways as I can.
00:14:00
Speaker
While I no longer focus my energy on serving retail customers, I still have an ideal client I wish to serve and you listening to this podcast tells me that you're very likely a version of that avatar. And you're probably someone who could really benefit from hearing my next tip, which is tip number three.
Importance of Financial and Marketing Data
00:14:22
Speaker
know your numbers financially as well as marketing wise. When it comes to finances it does not serve you to avoid understanding what's really needed to grow a financially sustainable business. So you need some form of record keeping even if it's super simple like creating a cash flow spreadsheet so you can stay on top of the money coming in and the money going out.
00:14:47
Speaker
plus the details of exactly how much your product or service costs you to produce and deliver. So you know exactly what you need to bring in a profit and pay yourself, especially if you are wishing to let go of that side gig and be able to live off the income you bring in through your business. This needs to start from day one. Rather than hope and wait for that magic number to hit your bank account that will enable you to live completely free of stress and worries around when the next influx of cash will come in to pay for the bills and have some left behind that you can live off, you need to take charge and be aware so you can make discerning decisions rather than operate from a place of blind faith and hope.
00:15:34
Speaker
As for data, tracking where you've placed your efforts in the way of marketing and what's returning the results you were after enables you to know where to place more effort and where to place less. This ties back into knowing your customer. If your ideal customer hangs out on Instagram and doesn't go anywhere near TikTok, then it doesn't matter how many people are on that platform. If your ideal customer is not there, it's a waste of your time placing effort there. The same can be said for tracking who physically walks into your bricks and mortar store and how they discovered you. In my commercial space, tracking what day and time visitors came in, as well as how they found out about us, made it simple to decide which hours were best to open and which hours or days we could afford to be closed, to do the other things behind the scenes that were required for that beautiful offering that we gave.
00:16:29
Speaker
Rather than being open 9-5, 7 days a week just in case they came in, knowing the pattern of behaviour allowed for me to make more discerning decisions. We may have missed a few visitors by not being open 9-5, 7 days a week, but this ties back to knowing my vision for the business and my life. It was important to me that I had time with my family when everyone was home together and after trialing being open on Sundays for six months even employing someone to cover that day so I could be with my family I discovered it was not financially viable and so the next five years after that I didn't open on Sundays.
00:17:11
Speaker
That may have changed over time as the population increased in our region, but for the six years that I had my commercial space, I was making decisions based on my life and business goals. Having clients tell me they listened to my podcast and receive value from doing so, then receiving emails from people even before they became clients saying they listened to my podcast. made me realise pretty quickly that taking that break in podcasting and focusing my energy on doing work that simply helped pay the bills through freelance work that was not actually serving my ideal client, led me to reshuffle my schedule and place the podcast back as a priority. When I came back to my vision of what success looks like to me,
00:17:58
Speaker
Empowering people to do business to their own beat, creating a harmonious life, contributing to the collective tapestry with their unique thread made me slap myself in the head and realise I needed to fit this into my days. Also, because it's something I thoroughly enjoyed doing, on top of having the impact I hoped it would have. So as a part of me redefining what success in business looks like for me, I too have had to revisit the numbers financially and in terms of marketing. And I'm currently in the process of making adjustments to reduce outputs related to serving my ideal retail customer and placing more focus on serving my ideal coaching client. Which leads me to tip number four.
Utilizing Resources and Gradual Growth
00:18:47
Speaker
Number four is,
00:18:49
Speaker
What are you working towards achieving? And what can you do as your first steps towards that goal? The saying start where you are, use what you've got, do what you can comes to mind every time someone says I can't do that because I don't have XYZ. Instead of saying you can't reach that end point, Look at what you do have available to you that can enable you to make it a step or two closer to reaching that end goal. A simple example of this is starting a mailing list and sending out a regular newsletter. When starting with the free version of the app you're using, do what you can with it.
00:19:28
Speaker
Even if you can't create an automatic series of templates for your customer journey, create a series of emails that will take your entire list on a journey. And then, when you start generating revenues through your efforts and can see it's returning on your investment of time, then you can upgrade to the next level, which will enable you to automate the process. Recently I had a client say that they could not produce the promo images I really wanted to create because they could not afford the photographer, model and location costs for the shoot. Now in the past I collaborated with other designers to hire a photographer, a model, hair and makeup artist and capture shots that I thought would represent my brand best.
00:20:12
Speaker
but then found those images had a limited lifespan. So instead I started capturing photographs of my garments and products on my own using myself as a so-called model. I don't think of myself as model material. at all, quite the opposite really. I realized though that selling my garments and products to women who did not feel like model material meant that having my um products captured in images on a model was actually creating a barrier. As they would often say, it wouldn't look like that on me though. So when I started using myself as the model, that broke down that barrier. And then they could see that if it looked good on me, it could look good on them.
00:20:59
Speaker
My whole ethos was to empower women to step out into their days and effortlessly move through them doing what they are here to do to serve the collective without being distracted by feeling that they did not have the physique to carry off the garments that they were wearing. My garment designs were all about owning your style and not trying to pull off a current trend or look. When it came to starting this podcast, I wanted to start with creating a video version straight away, not just audio. And I didn't have and I still don't have the camera dedicated to this. Even though I'd like to buy one someday, I have an ongoing conversation with my eldest son about which camera I should look at buying.
00:21:46
Speaker
He works as a sound lighting and vision technician and he's always up to date with the latest technology in terms of equipment and apps and that I could use to be doing things better. But for now I use the camera on my computer and for the first 40 episodes I also used a cheap gaming mic to record the audio until he gifted me a better microphone. It's still not the best equipment out there but it works. Rather than not having the right equipment hold me back from getting started, I decided to focus more on learning the process of creating a podcast and seeing if it would lead to the outcomes I desired in terms of reaching my ideal coaching clients before investing in the equipment.
00:22:31
Speaker
None of the clients I have had come through learning about my offerings via this podcast have made any comment about my equipment or the quality of my audio or even video. They have all focused on the value they received from the content that I've shared. So the essence of this tip goes back to that start where you are, use what you've got, do what you can and focus on progress over perfection. Now for number five, which I think is the most important tip of all.
Prioritizing Personal Wellbeing
00:23:03
Speaker
And number five is know your personal needs and take care of yourself. No one else knows what you need to maintain your health and wellbeing. So don't hope for a time that you will be able to put yourself on that list of priorities. If you've been listening to my podcast for a while, you would have heard me say before that you are your business's greatest asset.
00:23:25
Speaker
And I stand by that statement wholeheartedly. You'd be surprised to learn how often I'm told that I'm lucky because I'm healthy, I look younger than my age, and I've maintained my vibrance despite my recent personal challenges of becoming a self-employed single mum. Believe me, I am not lucky. I prioritise my health and wellbeing. And I have because I have witnessed and experienced firsthand what happens when we neglect to take personal responsibility for our health and wellbeing. I've been burnt out before. I know what it feels like. I have a tendency towards being a workaholic, especially when i do when I'm doing what I'm super passionate about.
00:24:07
Speaker
I can easily lose hours doing it and have in the past prioritised serving my clients and customers needs over looking after my own so I do get it. But in the end it's up to us to tune in to our needs and not neglect them. And set the boundaries around what we're doing so that we can reach our goals. Recently I was struggling with the super cold weather here in the Yas Valley and since my Zenten, which is a room that I'm recording this in, is one of the coldest rooms in the house. I set up camp in front of the fireplace.
00:24:40
Speaker
But I started to notice that being on the southern side of the cottage, I wasn't absorbing as much natural light as I need to feel good. So I decided to head back into this room after attending a webinar that focused on the art of sacred space based on ancient Indian wisdom teachings and hearing about the impact of the direction that we are facing when we open sacred space for others to share. Which serving clients, coaching clients is all about offering a space where they can openly express their fears and concerns. I decided to change the location of my desk in this room. In doing so, based on serving the needs of others, I discovered this served my wellbeing in other ways. As I used to have to close the curtains to reduce a reflection on my glasses when sitting in client sessions, webinars, and recording my video for the podcast,
00:25:36
Speaker
which takes up majority of my work days. As soon as I finish sessions I would open up the curtains and gaze out over the beautiful vista of the ranges on the other side of the valley. Now in my new with my new layout I don't need to close the curtains And I can look over my shoulder at the ranges any time, the which is much healthier for my eyesight, focusing on a distant view. But no one else can know that I feel better when I work in natural light or that I need to stare out into the distance and exercise my eye muscles. And optometrists recommended that when I spent a lot of my days doing close-up work on a sewing machine, which is why I've always set up my desk under the window.
00:26:20
Speaker
These little things are what we get to know about ourselves. Now the same can be said for what triggers us. Only we can know what they are and we can learn to manage them in a way that serves our wellbeing. Which is why I think it's also really important to take time to pause, reconnect and reflect. Little pauses throughout the day are supportive, but sometimes we also need to take a bigger pause, especially when navigating changes in our life.
00:26:51
Speaker
Really stopping and assessing what's no longer in alignment, what's changed in our vision or objectives, even when our ideal customer changes. When you find yourself hustling rather than flowing, this is a really good indicator that a big pause could serve you well. By this I don't necessarily mean stop doing everything. You may not be in a position to do that. Maybe one day you will be, but if you're not, Then allowing yourself a chance to step back from doing some things and open up space in your schedule to work through these five tips I've shared here today. Journal on them, go for a walk and reflect on them, contemplate them and see if where you have been placing your energy is still in alignment with your desired outcomes. Make time to recalibrate and realign.
00:27:46
Speaker
In the end, there's really no quick fix or top tips that will lead you to a short term outcomes that will serve you for the long term. Because doing business to your own beat means understanding your own needs, wants desires and no one can give you a quick solution on that. But when you have that long-term vision in mind, you can make short-term decisions that support you in reaching those long-term goals. One step at a time. Before you know it, you'll have reached that next peak and made your way up out of the dip.
00:28:20
Speaker
Also, sometimes what we need to do for ourselves is set boundaries around what we are doing to balance out our masculine and feminine energy or to reach our goals and objectives. Another client recently said to me, I'm an Aquarius, to which I responded with, okay, let's explore that a little in terms of bringing a fish home from a pet store. You bring it home in a bag, you open up the bag, you pour out the water and the fish onto the table. What will happen to the fish? That fish cannot survive without the water being contained. Even the ocean is contained by boundaries of land. Deciding on establishing a business rather than taking a job and working for someone else within the boundaries that they set for you means you need to learn to set those boundaries and containers for yourself.
00:29:11
Speaker
You will enjoy your business so much more when you create an environment and systems for yourself that allows you to thrive. But only you can know what you need in order for that to happen. So tune in, make adjustments, set your goals, know your numbers, foster your own growth and development so that you can create a harmonious life for yourself. No one else can do that for you.
Reassessing and Realigning Business Goals
00:29:38
Speaker
Also keep in mind that along that pathless path you are traversing as you create your own version of success, things may come along that shift your focus and lead you in a slightly different direction. Calling for a quick reassessment of what is still serving and what is not.
00:29:55
Speaker
So I hope these five tips have inspired you to make some time to reassess and realign. And if you're new to this podcast and got value out of this episode, hit subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes and more inspiration to come through these solo cast and guest interviews. And also share it with somebody else who you think could get value out of it too. I wish you a beautiful, magical rest of your day and look forward to seeing you back here next week. Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is, and I hope you got value out of listening to this podcast. If you are looking for a coach to support and guide you through your own unique journey of creating a life you love, then reach out for a connection call. And if you'd like to connect with other creative souls in person by joining us at a workshop or retreat, or to book a unique shopping experience here at Creators Nest, I run those by appointment. So check out the website for more details. The link is in the show notes.
00:30:55
Speaker
Oh, and please leave a review. I'd love to hear any insights or inspirations that were activated in you from this podcast. And I look forward to drumming, dancing or soaring alongside of you.