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Life Coaching

If I Got A Business Do-Over, Here’s What I’d Do…

April 7, 2016

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I'm Victoria!

I show life coaches how to master their marketing and take control of their own success by creating a meaningful message that attracts more clients and makes more money.

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OK so it’s never going to happen, but I’ve been thinking about the things I’d do differently to fast-track a bigger, stronger business.

After nearly 6 years in business, I’ve grown my business online from scratch.

I’ve made some great decisions and I’ve made some REALLY bad ones.

Like as in MEGA, million-dollar lost opportunity mistakes.

And it’s really annoying… especially when you see others come in and do what you SHOULD have done and have great success doing it.

Aaah the benefit of hindsight!

Oh and living in the moment… and having no regrets and all that good stuff that I know I should practice but mostly don’t.

It’s like that magazine that asks people what they would go back and tell their 14 year old self in order to avoid past hurts and mistakes.

Well here’s what I’d tell my 2010 Business Self:

1. Other people’s businesses don’t matter more than your own

So, I know you have to get your clients great results, and this definitely will be the backbone of your success.

But don’t throw your own business under the bus to get them.

This is an easy trap to fall into for coaches and consultants.

You’re so desperate to prove yourself and justify your worth that you totally over-deliver and neglect to nurture your own business.

Once I started raising my prices and becoming fully booked, I got too busy to grow the foundations of my own business, as all my time was taken up with the demands of growing other peoples’.

Now, I loved building up the success stories for my clients, but it wasn’t helping my business to stop weekly blogging and content creation.

Yes, your current clients do bring in referrals from their success, but when they’re finished, your business still needs to be growing.

2. Get yourself an assistant AND mentor and train them

This was probably one of my biggest slip-ups.

I hired a Filipino VA in 2011, but failed to invest the time in her to nurture her talent, get her set up with SOP’s and really develop her capabilities and knowledge of my business to lighten my load.

Instead I just thought I was too busy and surely she’s pick it up by osmosis or planetary alignment or other fantasy!

The fact is building a team and creating support in your business takes a plan, dedication, consistency and review.

And yes, it is a financial, emotional and time investment that is not always convenient.

BUT it’s OH SO necessary,

Please don’t skip this part just because you are highly capable and can do it all yourself.

Sure, you can do it.

But so can someone who costs $20 an hour, and you can have that hour to bring in $20,000 instead.

3. Create your signature system and stick to it

Break down the way you create the transformation for your clients into a repeatable success system that you can leverage online.

Make sure it has about 4-8 steps and will apply to all your ideal clients, with extra levels of customisation as investment goes up.

Not only create, teach and share your signature system, but constantly iterate and improve with the intel you get from what’s working and what’s not.

Just because you only sell a few the first time you offer it, please don’t give up and try and create something else.

Nurture and refine it’s success – ONE program.

This is the basis of a really successful business and one that will last.

If I hadn’t given up on my Sell More With Facebook Ads course that I created in 2011 because I got busy running campaigns for people, that course could easily be bringing me in $50-$100K a month by now.

Instead I got sidetracked, thought it sucked (despite feedback to the contrary) and had no patience for it’s potential.

Despite the fact there were only about 6 key people teaching the subject back then and I could have really carved a space for myself.

4. Consistently build your list

Now, I know this is OBVIOUS.

But how often do you do this in fits and starts?

I know when you start out, it is all you focus on. But it is so tiny that you, the cat and your grandmother are the only people who open your weekly newsletter.

Don’t let that dedication fade as you get busier as your business grows.

Giving great value to your tribe is what you will be known and loved for, and will form the best foundation for sales growth.

Create consistent lead gen campaigns – paid and unpaid – that lead to your offers and exceptional value.

Business often doesn’t get reliably great until your list is at 10,000, so get there as fast as you possibly can.

Great list-builders are Facebook Ads, Webinars, Free Guides, Product Launches & Telesummits.

Do them!

5. Follow-up
I’m still pretty crap at this, but making sure you have automated follow up for all enquiries and interactions is a game-changer.

Most people need time to warm up to you before they buy and whenever you can do this in a personalized way (but automated), you will have a silent force bringing you in more revenue every week.

Even just adding one email to a nurture campaign, or making an offer on a thankyou page can and will make a difference to your sales.

And the things I am glad I did?

Here’s just a few:

1. Got specific fast
My choice to specialize in Facebook Ads early on in my business was one of the best I made.
It made it easy for clients to choose me, and it was also easy to network and create relationships with key influencers.

2. Learned the power of high-ticket selling
This was a game changer for me and one that was filled with resistance at first, but when Kevin Nations showed me his philosophy and the value and results it could bring in for my clients, I was hooked!

3. Invested in great mentors
This is hands down one of the best things I did and what I learned from the likes of being in masterminds with Marie Forleo, James Schramko, Kevin Nations, Lisa Sasevich & Justin Livingston was GOLD.

Save yourself 10,000 hours and borrow someone else’s.

4. Got good at copy
Copy (and of course marketing) are the backbone of your business, so you better learn the power of direct-response marketing as soon as you can as it can take time to hone.

Once you have it, you have it for life, so it’s worth taking the time to learn it.

5. Surrounded myself with awesome business babes
This is the best part of building my business, in that I have also made some of my best friends along the way.

Beauties like Denise Duffield-Thomas and Jody Jelas have led me to be a better businesswoman and person and that is more rewarding than any $1 lead I get on Facebook.

Looking to bypass the mistakes as you grow? Join me live for my latest event and steal my 10,000 hours so yours can be way more profitable.

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  1. Great tips. Thanks for your honesty, Victoria.

  2. Amber says:

    I love your vibe Victoria Gibson!! <3

so hot right now