When you think of the business you want to grow:
- You may have an elaborate vision of all you want to include in your existing or emerging business.
- Or you may have a sense of a basic outline, but when it comes to the details, things get a little fuzzy.
- Or you could have clarity about one element of your vision, but beyond that you don't see anything clearly.
Struggling to Create A Clear Vision of the Business You Want to Grow?
Mainstream business courses and coaching give you the impression that you "should" be able to develop a detailed vision from scratch in short order. They imply that if you can't get it together to share your business vision in detail, then you are broken in some way.
The truth of the matter is that most of us struggle to create a clear business vision.
This is especially true if you are starting a new business, re-imagining your existing business, or developing a unique body of work that reflects your essence.
How a Vision Focused on Marketing May Not Be Your Best Next Step
With many Mainstream programs, the ultimate business vision is hyper-focused on marketing. The over-arching question, whether stated or not, is: How are you going to market your work to your ideal clients?
From my work with clients over the last thirty years, I know something that many Mainstream practitioners do not.
- Before you can figure out how to market your work,
you must develop a deep sense of your work for yourself first.
- When you don't know the work you do (or want to do),
then it's impossible to develop a viable marketing message, create a good marketing plan, and promote your work.
As I stated above: This is especially true if you are starting a new business, re-imagining your existing business, or developing a unique body of work that reflects your essence.
If Your Current Vision Isn't Inspiring You...
It's likely that your business vision is not complete in some way. You may not be able to put your finger on what isn't working, but you know something isn't right. Do you resonate with one or more of these scenarios?
- Some part of your vision is missing. Perhaps you don't have proof that your work will generate the results you intend for your clients.
- Something feels out of date. Perhaps an element of your vision felt on target pre-pandemic, before you retired, or prior to your relocation, but now it doesn't feel right.
- Some aspect does not express your values or personal style. Perhaps you embedded a certain income stream into your business vision because your previous coach told you to, but it's never felt right to you.
- Some element is so fuzzy you can't commit. Perhaps you are on the fence; you think you have your niche figured out, but you can't act on it.
- Something is standing between you and the results you desire. Perhaps you are doing free or reduced-rate sessions, but you can't figure out how to make the leap to enrolling paying clients.
To move forward with your business, you must identify what's keeping you from fully engaging with your business.
Why the Way You’ve Been Trying to Create a Business Vision Hasn’t Worked Well
First, it is important to realize that the questions you've been taught to use as the basis for your vision — what's your niche, your ideal avatar, your pricing — are all about marketing!
If you aren't crystal clear about the work you want to do with clients, then you have no business answering those questions. See if you agree with my logic here.
- How do you market a service, when it's not fully formed in your own mind?
- How do you know your ideal client, when you aren't sure what your work is?
- How do you decide on your pricing, when you haven't defined your service or offer?
This glitch in the Mainstream logic is precisely why it has been so difficult for you to create a full-fledged vision in Mainstream programs.
How Do You Create a Viable Vision of Your Business...
To develop a grounded sense of your work with clients, your services, and, ultimately, your marketing, it's essential to deepen your inquiry into the heart of your work for yourself first! Once you are clear what what you do, it will be far easier to figure out the best way to share your work with those who will benefit from it most.
One of my mentoring clients recently told me that I provided her with a trellis that gave her the opportunity to rearrange how she saw her work, how she identified where her vision wasn't working, and how to switch elements around to create a viable vision.
At a point where she was just about to give up on her dream of creating a viable business, she found the clarity, confidence, and momentum to bring her vision to life.
What did I do to create this supportive trellis for her? I asked her a series of questions to help her look at each element of her work and business from a new perspective. As she got a clearer sense of each aspect of her business, she was able to connect the dots in a new way. The results was a stronger sense of the business she wanted to create. With her renewed clarity, she was able to see where she could to firm up areas of her vision and plan.
If you'd like to create a
refreshed vision of your business,
join us for the following event!
I'll be guiding you through the same series of questions in the Blossom with Clarity: A 21-Day Insight Journey. Check out the details!
