A Simple Idea To Help Unstick Your Service-Based Business
The most important goal for service-based business owners is cash-flow because without it you slip into the feast or famine swampland. And let me tell you, the feelings that come up when cash isn't flowing in your business spill into every area of your life:
- your patience has zero elasticity
- your creativity dries up
- your confidence quivers
- you become addicted to beating yourself up by comparing yourself to others
Please know: this is normal. You are normal. Everyone goes through it. It doesn't matter how glossy things look over on Pinterest, it happens.
But here's a simple idea to help get unstuck:
COLLABORATE WITH OTHER SERVICE PROVIDERS WHOSE WORK COMPLIMENTS YOURS.
This is especially powerful if you're an introverted business owner.
The worst thing introverts can do, when our businesses are ebbing instead of flowing, is isolate ourselves in the quiet torment of excessive research and rumination.
What is collaboration?
It's when you work with someone else on a project or offer. You combine your superpowers to serve a need or solve a problem for dream clients.
Why it works:
Because you and your collaborator each:
+ know different people
+ have interesting ideas
+ possess unique talents and skills
+ desire to expand your businesses
+ will benefit by not going it alone
+ will broaden your opportunities and possibilities
Real life examples from my clients:
Sarah Papp is a life coach who's building an engaged community by partnering with a friend and fellow coach to host free monthly group calls. Participants get to sample some of her amazing coaching, she's building trust by sharing real value with prospective clients, and she's not doing it all alone. CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT.
Jami Young, is a leadership coach who is laying the foundation for her series of blog, video, and audio interviews called The Brave + Lovely Project. She plans to shine a light on women doing courageous, creative, and conscious things in their lives and businesses to help inspire her clients and community. CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT. FEEL FREE TO CONTACT JAMI AND NOMINATE AN AMAZING MENTOR.
Master motivator Cecilia Gorman often hosts live workshops, classes, and events with other trainers and speakers. SEE WHAT CECILIA'S UP TO HERE.
Shyla Hacala, facilitates workshops and retreats with fellow yoga instructors. CHECK OUT SHYLA'S WORK.
Brian and Cadie McGonigal regularly reach out to local realtors because their streamlined vacation rental management service partners beautifully and gives real estate agents a competitive edge. TAKE A LOOK.
Olaiya Land over at Milly's Kitchen works with friends and mentors to create extraordinary culinary travel tours you simply won't find anywhere else. VISIT OLAIYA HERE.
Tina-Marie Meyer works with her school system to provide academic life coaching to teachers, parents, and students. She does this along-side her private practice. She also works with co-facilitators to host workshops. LEARN MORE ABOUT TINA-MARIE RIGHT HERE.
I'm currently in the idea stage on some collaborations with my friends (and clients) Hillary Schneider and Tiffany Leslie Pasillas. Our services fit together like legos. Hillary takes people deep into their work to help them get crystal clear about the core message of their brand and Tiffany is a whip-smart, boots-on-the-ground accountability coach who helps people set up profitable businesses. Our services don't compete. They pick up where the other leaves off which means by working together we can offer our clients MORE of what they need without them sending them on a vulnerable search. LEARN MORE ABOUT HILLARY HERE. VISIT TIFFANY HERE.
Need some ideas? You could partner with a colleague to:
- Design a blog or email class series
- Host a group Q&A conference call
- Create a digital group learning experience via a webinar or hangout
- Facilitate a workshop in your community
- Combine services to create a new package offering
- Interview people whose work could inspire your clients and community
Take action:
Let people know you are interested in exploring collaboration possibilities.
Reach out...
1. Send an email to a colleague. Tell them what you admire about their work and how your services seem to go together like peas and carrots. Invite them to jump on the phone with you to meet and kick around some mutually profitable ideas.
Welcome in...
2. Make it known on your website that you are open to collaborating on projects that would benefit your clients. To see this in action, take a look at my CONTACT PAGE.
If you have a Squarespace website this is very easy to set up. Here's how:
I hope today's post inspired some new ideas to help you grow, expand, and unstick your business. Just because you're a solo-preneur doesn't mean you actually have to fly solo as you build your business. And for my fellow introverted business owners, having a quiet personality doesn't give you a pass on reaching out to others. Yes, it can feel scary. But it's scary for everyone! Once the initial awkwardness is over, you'll thrive because soulful connection is something you're excellent at.