The 3 Biggest Mistakes You Are Making in Your Service Based Business Right Now
Episode 331: Show Notes
Last time we shared a lot about our personal journey and the mishaps we had. Everybody makes mistakes, but we hope to learn as we go. So today we’re talking about the things that you might be getting wrong in trying to scale your service based business. Regardless of where you are in the process, these mistakes can be made at any and every level. So the episode today is going to involve a conversation that no one else is talking about. You might have incorporated some of the most popular strategies with the hope of landing more clients but have discovered that they are ineffective.
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Trust us when we say we’ve tried and tested every trick in the book! Sometimes the problem is that we are aligning the wrong goal with the strategy. Other times, we try something just because everyone else is doing it and it seems to be appropriate for the service we offer. We are bombarded with information about how we should run our businesses, and sometimes this just clouds our judgment and overcomplicates everything. Get ready to find out how to fix these bugs with some practical examples from our own experience, so be sure to tune in for this episode!
Mistake #1: Diversifying Too Soon
The first mistake so many of us make is believing that we can serve two completely different audiences at the same time. We had a marketing agency which involved branding, website design and photography, and in between everything we blogged like crazy. Our services were aimed at other businesses who needed to us to help them with their branding, but soon we discovered that a number of people did not need our actual services but instead wanted to learn how to do the work themselves. Suddenly we were confronted with two diverse groups: clients and students. Many people get to this same place: you’re just getting started with a few clients and then you realize that you need to diversify to supplement your income. You are convinced that serving a broader audience is going to get you there. The problem is not necessarily with diversifying, but with doing it prematurely. So what happens is, you end up taking on way too much and teetering on the edge of burnout.
Mistake #2: Looking For Clients In All The Wrong Places
The two of us have spent hundreds of hours, nine long months, on a strategy that landed us exactly how many clients? Zero! We spent all this time and effort blogging, convinced that it was a bullet proof strategy because so many others seemed like they were doing it successfully. Here’s the thing: you do not know what someone’s actual business is like. But perhaps blogging is not your thing and you sidestepped this rabbit hole, but maybe you are frequently posting on Instagram? We’re not saying it’s wrong – all we’re saying is that you have to be sure that the thing you are doing is actually getting clients! Often things like blogging and social media are distractions and if you add up all these little endeavors, we guarantee that you’d be shocked by how much time you are wasting on something that is not fruitful.
Mistake #3: Trying To Learn All There Is To Know
The third biggest mistake is learning about everything you could be doing instead of focusing on what you need to be doing. Why? Because it’s fun to learn, to hear about all the cool things you can do, from conversion rates and sexy website home pages to booking forms and client surveys. But guess what happens? It not only wastes your time, but also your colleagues’. You also get big time 'comparisonitis', looking at what everyone else has and where you fall short. What happens after a while, when your mind is buzzing with all these ideas, you begin to resent learning. Maybe you are listening to a string of business podcasts and reading all the business related books, but if you do that for too long, you become entirely overwhelmed with everything that you feel like you should be doing. Of course you should learn, but is should be carefully curated. Only focus on learning the single next thing that you are ready to implement; don’t try to learn your next ten strategies and pick only three or so sources to learn from.
Quote This
You need to focus only on learning the very next thing that you are ready to implement, not the next seven strategies.
Highlights
Mistake #1: Diversifying too soon. [0:05:20.1]
Mistake #2: Looking for clients in all the wrong places. [0:12:49.1]
Mistake #3: Trying to learn all there is to know. [0:21:45.1]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Diversifying, Focus, Learning, Information overload, Referrals
