A few years ago, one of our amazing members reached out to me to do a consultation to evaluate whether or not she should keep going in her business. What she was really asking me was if she should hang it up, start polishing her resume again, and start looking for a job.

She was so discouraged that her voice was shaking when we got on Zoom together. She was blinking back tears.

She loved working for herself. She loved managing her own time. She loved helping her clients. But, she was making about half of what she had made years prior in her full-time job, and she was working a ton.

She’s brilliant, has many years of experience in her field, and she’s passionate about getting results for her clients. So, why did it feel like such a struggle? As we dug into her business, the truth became clear.

She was ahmmaazzing once she got the project. But, getting new projects and clients was really challenging.

Here’s why.

When she was “doing the work” she was in flow, committed, and really good at what she does. But, when people asked her about her consulting practice, she wavered in a few key places:

She wasn’t sure how to confidently describe what she offered.
She wasn’t clear on the types of people and businesses (aka buyers) she could help the most.
She waffled on her pricing and often left the price conversation to the very, very end, sometimes discounting it before she even offered it.

In other words, she had ALL THE BRILLIANCE to DO the work, but was lacking confidence in how to GET the work.

And, she was feeling like she needed to quit.

Together, we got clear on exactly what she offered, including what the clients could expect as the outcome from their work together. We tested how many offer options were the sweet spot between feeling like there was choice and feeling overwhelmed by too many choices. And, we got really clear on the kinds of clients that she most loved working with and could be most successful with. We also got clear on the kinds of clients that drained her energy or just weren’t a match.

Lastly, we dialed in her pricing so that she could confidently communicate what it takes to work with her.

We followed up together three months later.

*“Still thinking about quitting?” I asked.*
“Grace, I made more in three months than I did last year!” she exclaimed. “I stopped worrying about things that weren’t impacting my business (like my Instagram followers) and got really clear on who I can help and how. I reached out personally to a few potential clients that had been on my dream roster and finally told them how I could help them in a way that resonated. And, they said yes.”

“I signed on more clients in three months than I have the whole time I”ve been in business.”

If you’re an entrepreneur, the story of feeling like you are skating very close to the edge of your business rink might feel sadly familiar.

Maybe you’ve been in business for a while and feel like you’re spinning your wheels and chasing marketing “shoulds” without making the money you need or deserve.
Maybe you have a new business and you’re not sure how to clearly state exactly what you do, who it’s for, and how to buy it.
Maybe you’ve been at this a while throwing spaghetti at the wall to study the various ways you can sell what you do, but it’s still not clear what’s working and what’s not.
Maybe you’re still in the early stages of creating your business, but you’re not clear on exactly how you’d make money.

At The Hivery, we want from the bottom of our hearts for you to build a successful business you love.

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