Truthbomb: Your creative talent and strengths can only take you so far when it comes to owning your own business. There. We said it.
What? But isn’t that literally the ABC of success in entrepreneurship? Well, no.
And we’re about to let you know why:
1. Your business model.
When you first branch out into #bizlife, you’re full of IDEAS and ENERGY and ZEST and GARY VEE QUOTES – trust us. We relished in this stage too.
And although it’s easy during this first stage to jump right in to getting clients, paying little attention to your brand, how you will convey yourself and what sets you apart could potentially set you see be part of the noise. We don’t want that.
So. A few things to consider here:
Do your values align with how you’ve branding your business?
> Have you identified the pain points in your business? How have you been handling these?
> Have you identified what sets you apart from your competitors?
> Does your business model allow for growth and change?
> How are you communicating and proving your point of difference in your industry?
2. Your client journey map.
Your clients ARE your business AKA without them you wouldn’t have one. So the key is to ensure they. are. always. prioritised.
Hence the client journey map.
A few things to help you create yours/ensure your current one is solid:
> Do you have a clear understanding of who your target clients are?
> Does the communication of your services/business clearly target these clients?
> Does your team (if applicable) fully understand your client journey? Could they explain it to you without any help?
> Is your client journey (from the moment they engage you, to the moment they complete a project with you) consistent and align with what you want to be known for?
> Does your client journey include a follow-up process after the initial services are complete.
The last point is particularly important to your business because: a) By showing you genuinely care in the execution of your services is how you receive referrals b) You will receive feedback that will allow you to change/tweak/solidify aspects of your business.
3. The amount of hats you’re wearing.
When we run our own business, we want to make sure that every aspect is perfect. So usually that translates to doing everything ourselves because we couldn’t possibly trust anyone else.
However, just because you are a creative genius doesn’t mean you have to be a numbers wrangler too! In fact, clouding your creative brain with things that you do not love, can de-shimmer those creative juices.
So. Your home work? Read our recent blog “When to know it’s time to outsource” and see whether you’re ready to get into the art of outsourcing. Less time spent on aspects that aren’t your forte will leave you time for those that are!
Ta da.
There you have it … three instances where talent just won’t cut it in your business!
Going out on your own is a massive step … and to make it a success you need to be willing to look at the bigger picture to ensure all the little bits come together to create a business that continues to grow.
