The Lessons and Gifts of Growth – a Self Case Study

As happens with anything you are in for the long haul, there is ebb and there is flow. This self case study is the story of a business experiment that I took myself through over the past few months.

This past year has been about figuring out how to build and position myself and my business for the next level of growth.

Again as with anything, it is never one thing that makes a difference, it is a collection of shifts, changes, sacrifices, challenges, and realizations. Then the always fun gathering of the guts to do the hard work, most of which is on the inside, the stuff no ones sees happening.

In this article, I will take on my journey and share my stories of the past 3 months in my business and in my life. I am doing this for several reasons, it helps me validate my own experiences, so much has happened so fast as I was working at breakneck speed. And perhaps it will help others, maybe you.

First a Recap

Before we dive in, I wanted to provide a quick recap of what happened over the past year.

• I willingly said goodbye to a few big clients that I worked with for 2 years
• While working with these clients was profitable and I learned a ton, I lost my way with my own business in the process by getting caught up in their red-tape. I stopped marketing my business and the clients that came so easily stopped.
• Knowing that I needed help and a supportive community, I signed up for Seth Godin’s altMBA and successfully completed it in May. It was challenging and wonderful, as with anything Seth does the benefits surprise you and keep coming. I highly recommend this very unique educational experience if it speaks to you.
• I realized that I prefer working with successful, profitable, and innovative small businesses and individuals that bring good into the world through their work. That are ready to increase their visibility and gather all that they have created and put it to work.
• The work I do is rooted in content so I particularly enjoy working with authors, speakers, teachers, anyone who has compelling content that more people need to know about.
• Help was still needed…

And now I will share what happened over the past 3 months, which I am now calling a self case study and how I worked with 20 paying clients in 90 days and lived to tell the tale.

Where This Self Case Study Started

As I mentioned, I still needed help, I felt stuck at 11 o’clock and we cannot always see what is right in front of us. This was not about the work, it was about me and who I needed to be in my business. This work is NOT for the faint of heart and should NOT be done alone. Now I have a wonderful support crew, I cannot imagine living this life without them. But I was at a serious crossroad and I needed more.

Flashback to mid-November, Pam Slim a business coach I have known for some time and deeply admire, posted an offer out into the ether of Facebook that was exactly what I needed. Every year around this time, she offers up 20 two-hour coaching sessions to help you get a handle on the upcoming year for $500. This is how she gives back and I was a grateful recipient.

I not only bought a session, but I also sent a few friends her way. Then I started to think I should do this too. My work is deep, there is a lot of customized research and planning involved and I was never able to see how I could scale it back. I always tried to drop something, either the PR piece or the SEO piece, but that never worked.

I realized that I could create a smaller offering of my signature service, the Social PR Lens, which typically starts at $5K. I could use the same framework, give the clients all the same elements, but smaller… a mini version for $500.

Needless to say, my investment with Pam was an excellent one and my offer sold like hotcakes. It did not take much effort on my part, posted one Facebook post and sent one email. Here are a few highlights:

• The minis sold out in about 2 weeks without really trying
• Pam even referred a few perfect clients
• Some of the clients needed more so the mini+ was born for $1000+
• A few did not actually need a mini, but had specific projects that were uniquely suited to my work
• Mini clients referred their friends and past clients came back

All amazing results. My dance card was full, clients were flowing and I love every client that came onboard during that time. I was more inspired in my business than I had been in a while.

So Many Lessons, So Little Time

As part of my on-boarding process, I send clients a looong questionnaire, I shortened it for the mini projects, but it was still around 30 probing questions. I want to know what they want so I am not building silos in their businesses, but I am giving them blocks of information that can be arranged and rearranged to create custom strategies and achieve their business goals and objectives.

It took a bit for clients to complete their forms so I started working the first week in December and basically have not stopped since.

The sheer volume of work, that I did all by myself brought everything that worked or did not work to the surface. This pushed me to remove any cobwebs that grew in my process. I reevaluated every tool, system, process and I learned a ton.

Below I break out the lessons by the stages that I went through, it’s long, but I do get to what this all looks like at the end of this particular journey. Stick with me, there’s a lot to unpack.

Shifts

What I learned here, is that we need to maintain room for shifts in the work, the marketing, team, thoughts, learning… all of it. This needs to be a recurring calendar item. I lost track of the space in my business when I became too immersed in managing the shifts of others, but that can quickly turn into a job instead of a client. Beware the pitfalls of caring too much.

Changes

As I mentioned, I did a massive amount of work in a short period of time, that creates change and you really need to be open to dismantling and rebuilding.  This is extraordinarily hard and one of the places it’s easy to get stuck, you invested time, money, effort, it’s what you are known for and likely selling. Yet if it is no longer serving you and your clients you need to change it up to stay relevant.

This is when you really need your tribe for support. Make sure they will be honest, that they will tell you the truth even if it’s NOT what you want to hear. It’s also about the time I re-read The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks and listen to Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.

The biggest changes that came about from my self case study

1. I upleveled my systems and processes. I dug deep into the tools I use, both the paid and free tools. I spent an entire weekend learning more about the SEO tool I use and figured out how to provide clients with keyword and SEO strategies that they can apply on their own without investing a small fortune in tools and learning how to use them. This will empower them to create content that is attractive to their audience and to search engines as well as know how to do some research to identify how to position themselves and to meet their ever-changing business objectives and goals.This has always been a challenge for me, every aspect of my work changes, the social platforms, search engines, the PR industry is unrecognizable, not to mention the rules and tools. With every iteration of my work and my business I have strived to focus on the things that don’t change, relationships and conversations and trying to get everything else to stay as still as possible… This is the best I have gotten it so far, but this too will change and I am OK with that. I learned years ago that the one thing you can count on is that everything will change.
2. In the past, my team handled resolving website tech issues that impeded SEO rankings. Since I was operating solo and fast, I decided to partner with a website company instead of doing any of the website work and it allowed me to focus on what I bring to my work. It is not fixing tech issues that slow down your website. I whole-heartedly love the good people that do that work, I’m 100% clear it is not me.

Challenges

Did I mention that these clients do all kinds of things? There was an assortment of coaches who focus on different things, to name a few… a coach who is also a magician, a Pilates instructor, an interior designer, and several were in a transitional space so we worked through where they are going, not so much where they were.

There were a few days that my brain actually felt bruised. Although I was actually enjoying this, it is not sustainable as my body has let me know.

I still had no time to market my business. Hmmm….

Sacrifices

Time… one week rolled into another, the months slipped away. I worked through the holidays and as time slipped into the rear-view mirror I was more and more exhausted.

My body was not happy, I had started a regular Pilates practice a year ago and I missed most of December because I pulled my back out. I had a terrible head cold and last week as I was finishing up one of the last clients I was burning up with a fever which went away after I slept for almost 2 days.

Other than work, Pilates, when I could, and shuffling my son from place to place I did nothing but work… That is not a good way to live.

And… I still did not market my business. I have been hosting weekly Facebook Lives since October, I am not doing all I can with them.

Realizations and Gifts

OMG so many realizations, I will share what I know now. This experiment was a very challenging gift that I know will continue to show up in ways that I have not imagined and I am open to receive them regardless of whether they are good or bad.

It’s been 10 years since I accidentally crafted my Social PR process and I still love this work. I never get bored and I’m surprised at the possibilities that are available to all of us every single day.

For years I have been going about delegation in the wrong way. I tried to separate out tasks like keyword analysis and I always ending up spending more time on them because one of my special talents is finding things, learning that this is actually a talent was a gift I received from my sprint in the altMBA.

I build strategies through the things I find WHILE doing keyword analysis. That cannot be delegated. But the process of breaking down and upleveling my processes and systems taught me what can be delegated. Combining smart, cost-effective delegation with the website company partnership, creating master lists of podcasts, events, hashtags and other items we research, and learning how to use the tools differently, has opened up an entirely new role for me in my business. One that there was never enough time for so it eluded me.

Here is the big one

My services do not fit into a $500 price tag. It’s bigger, it’s not a quick fix, it’s a long-game strategy and very specific. It’s not for everyone and I am totally fine with that, have been for a long time. I learned to respect the value of what I have built. It’s special for the right people and now my job is to find a few of those people. I actually know how to do that.

I know when it’s right and they usually do too. All of my recent clients have been happy, maybe a bit overwhelmed, but happy. There was only one that was not and I am confident that if she looks at it through a different lens she will see that any one part of the project is worth more than $500. Those are pretty good odds.

The End Result

I’m thrilled that I was able to provide micro-businesses with high-level and custom strategies that change their businesses and lives in ways they cannot imagine for years to come. If they follow my plans, it will feel seamless, they will likely not even remember it was from the work we did together because they will simply connect with the right people. This is how it happens when you are in the right place at the right time.

I am grateful for the gifts, lessons, and realizations about myself and my work. This is the only way we grow and many don’t make it through, I value every bump and bruise along the way because I know they build my resilience personally and professionally and ultimately lead to the evolution of only focusing on my zone of brilliance. This is the closest I have ever felt to that once elusive goal.

I have worked for over 35 years, and have had my business since 2006. I used to beat myself up every time I needed to make significant changes until I learned that it is about going deeper, broadening knowledge, and connection. Letting go of what holds you back whether it be people, processes, or clients, with no remorse.

I bring the wisdom learned over these many years along with skill and talent to all I do. I have tried to dim it down, I cannot, I don’t even want to. The time is here for me to own it all, to embrace my value, to be compensated to bring my best. I’m ready.

As is often the case, I acknowledged that I have been holding myself back, I told myself terribly horrible things I would not say to anyone else. I will no longer do that. If I feel myself slipping, I know my tribe will help me see myself through their lens. We all need people in our lives that will help us to do that. If I can help you see your value, please reach out.

Are you still here? Are you sitting at the edge of your seat? If so, you may be interested in learning more about my work you can check out my updated services page and if feels like what you have been looking for, book some time on my calendar and let’s chat.

If not, I created this self case study as much for you as myself, perhaps you can glean something from the many lessons I have learned and apply them to your journey.

Either way, thank you for being part of my world and for taking the time to read this. I would love to know what you think.

I wish you happiness, prosperity, and every success.