And how I got unstuck.

I’ve learned a lot and made a lot of mistakes over the years. That is how we learn after all. But these mistakes held me captive for a long time. But I persevered and I’m here to share my learning lessons. 

Here are the five mistakes that kept me stuck:

1. Creating content without a plan. 

I didn’t have a plan, I was literally speaking to anyone that would listen. A plan just means to outline what you want to do and then do it accordingly.  Now I have a plan that speaks to my ideal client/audience. And then I solve their problem (see #3). Make it helpful and relatable. But first, make that plan. Another lesson within this: don’t spend too much time on the plan, just do and then execute it. 

2. Crippling Imposter Syndrome almost ended my business.

The “I’m not good enough,” feeling almost caused my self-doubt to end my business and quit. It’s real and honestly, it’s hard to overcome. But it can be overcome. I came to a realization that even though I wasn’t good enough, I still had something to offer and I was good at what I did, I just needed to focus and ignore the noise. So get laser-focused, talk it out, let go of perfectionism, and know that you are not alone.  

3. Focusing on the wrong thing. 

I was so focused on branding graphics and ‘looking good’ that I didn’t focus on leading people to my website in the first place.  If you want to be seen, you have to be found.  I should have been more focused on search engine optimization (SEO).  That is how people find you.  Instead, I quite literally spent weeks at a time on fonts, logos, and just crap that I thought mattered. Sure it’s important, but don’t spend so much time on it.  It’s just best to get your amazing content out there and get seen and heard.  

4. Consistency.

Consistency is the bane of my existence.  Who was never consistent and therefore remains penniless?  Me. Well not entirely broke but had I been consistently posting new and relevant content, I would probably be more of an expert, solving more problems, and had more clients.  But, I didn’t.  Learn from my mistakes and post consistent and relevant content to your blog. I set the goal to post blog content once a week, consistently.  It’s hard to balance it all (kids, family life, etc.)  But trust, you do this and it will pay off in the long term.  It shows your dedication, readers love fresh content, makes for great SEO, for building authority in your niche, more social media content, gives more keywords, and possible new networking opportunities.  Need I say more?  Just be consistent.   

5. Creating content that is encouraging INSTEAD OF content that solves a problem.

One thing I learned early on was that people will pay for convenience and that translates to (solving their problem to provide) solutions (and not encouragement).  Sure be inspiring but also get paid for it.  Offer the “How” and “Serving over selling,” to solve your ideal client’s problems. 

These five mistakes meant:

• No consistent income.
• No sustainable marketing plan
• Trading time for money
• An unorganized hot mess

I cannot stress this enough, learn from my mistakes and have a plan, focus and stay clear & consistent, and solve their problem.  You do this and your business will stay on course for the better. 

So tell me, what has worked for you?  Are you a consistent mastermind?  Let’s share and connect.