3 things you need to succeed in your online business

I was chatting with a biz BFF last week (that’s what we call our “business friends forever” around here! Do you have one? You tend to meet them through courses, social media, and other weird online places that other people in your real life don’t understand, and when you meet these people they become your business ROCKS — your biggest supporters, your shoulder to cry on, your ear to bitch to, and your friends to gab with about everything. If you don’t have a BFF yet, I’d highly recommend starting to network online to find some (these can literally be people that you get to know from my Uncaged Lifers FB group!).

Anyway, so I was chatting with one of my BFFs recently about what it really takes to make a business work if you’re new. What are the things that ACTUALLY make a difference, and what is just bullshit that complicates things and stresses you out? And what makes some people successful and some people NOT.

And agreed that there are pretty much 3 things that can make or break a new business (or at the very minimum delay your success by years).

If you have been working away at building your business online, you’ve probably noticed that everyone everywhere is telling you what you need to make your business work. Everyone wants to give you their two cents about what worked for them and what you should try and how you can make it happen. Blah Blah Blah.

We don’t agree with most of those things people are telling you to do (social media! list building! make a pretty website! do some webinars!). Yes, these things are all great for business and can be important for growth once you have clients and money coming in!, but they are NOT the things that will make or break you, or even help you the most, when you start.

When you’re new, you need an entirely different set of skills and strategies to make your business work. And I decided there are 3 things that make the biggest difference for new business owners.

 

1. A mindset of persistence consistency, and openness

I stole this one from our amazing mindset coach in Uncage Your Business, Erin Foley.

Yeah, it sounds cliche. But if you’re constantly freaking out about money and you’re sure that your business is doomed and you let every little “failure” get to you, I can almost guarantee that you will give up before you even get over the hump. Staying open to the idea that it might take longer than you’d like, embracing the ups and downs and taking a lesson from each one will help make sure you’re always growing and moving forward.

Even if nothing is working, you’ve gotta keep going and be willing to tweak and pivot, and will help you make decisions in the future. A “woe is me, business is hard, it’s never going to work, I must just suck, fuck this” mindset will get you nowhere.

Neither will a “I must make this work within 3 months, my entire life/house/kids/future is on the line, I can’t afford for this not to work” — that mindset will get you into scarcity mode SO fast and every single thing you do will have the weight of the world on it and this is terrible for business building.

Get a job to pay the bills while you grow. Take the pressure off.

You need to be:
1. Persistent (push through when it’s hard and sucks)
2. Consistent (keep taking those little baby steps even if they don’t seem like are doing anything)
3. Open (forget your expectations and be willing to change course in the moment)

If you find yourself getting down about it all or stressing the fuck out, you need to get yourself into a mastermind or peer coaching/accountability group asap (or get a BFF!) — something where you can get the support you need to keep on keeping on (our Uncage Your Business program would be a great choice for that!)

 

2. A clear niche

I know it’s annoying to hear, but if you want to sell anything quickly in your new biz (rather than struggling for years before making your first sale), you need to be mega clear on who you’re selling to.

This is one of the first things we work on with my clients in my foundational course Uncage Your Business, and it changes everything for them. Taking the time to get specific about what your services are and narrowing in on your target market will make everything a bajillion times easier.

Some people will tell you that you don’t need a niche, but every business has a niche! It doesn’t mean you have to get super narrow and specific about the tiny group of people that you are selling to, but it does mean that you need to know what problem you solve CLEARLY, and who has that problem, and where to find those people.

Once you know that, it becomes much easier to apply all the marketing knowledge you learn from everyone on the internet.

 

STRUGGLING TO FIND YOUR NICHE?

GRAB MY FREE NICHING GUIDE HERE, AND SAY GOODBYE TO ALL YOUR NICHING WOES!

3. Outside help

You cannot do this alone. I’ve watched way too many businesses try to figure everything out alone, and the sad fact is that most of them quit before they make it. The DIY approach will take you approx 3-4 years if you are coming into this brand spanking new with no marketing knowledge. By working with someone who can see your biz through a different lens and who has helped others get over the hump before, you’re shortcutting your track to success.

Don’t get me wrong – hiring someone or taking a course is still not a get rich quick strategy (but if you find one of those send it my way – I’m always down for some easy money!). It still takes work and hustle and heart – but when you at least know that you are doing the right things, the hustle is less and the results happen faster.

I work with clients just like you who are in the beginning stages of business who need help sorting out WTF they actually need to be doing to get clients and money. My Uncage Your Business program is 5 weeks of working with me on doing the steps you need to be doing in order to make your biz work, faster.

If you simply can’t afford to hire help (like you’re gonna not be able to pay your rent or feed your kids), make sure you are at least masterminding with other business owners who can help you sort through the weeds. And get yourself a BFF!!

When you have a great mindset, a clear niche, and a coach or mentor or strategic business building program, your business has a far more likely chance of making it over the hump and actually being a real thing (as opposed to being a nice hobby or side job that never really moves beyond that).

Sure, there are other things you need as well, but these three are absolutely foundational to success.

Once you have those, then you can get all fancy and start learning other things!

I’d love to hear where you’re at with these! Pop into our free Facebook group and share which one of them you feel like you need the most help with right now.

xx becca