As a coach, I feel like I’ve heard it all when it comes to helping people reach their business goals. I hear so many of the same excuses over and over again that I can almost finish someone’s sentence when they start down the path of self-sabotage. Given the hundreds of women I’ve worked with through my classes, courses, coaching programs and live training events, I thought it might be time for a little tough love to nudge you back into your power as a talented entrepreneur.
Here are some reasons why you might not be making the money you want in your business right now. Deep down, if you know any of these reasons are holding you back, don’t get mad, just commit to shifting your mindset and taking action.
1. You spend more time talking about your business than you do working on your business.
You like telling people, “I own my own business,” but truth be told, you don’t really like the work part. You love the look on people’s faces when you give them your pretty business card that says President/CEO, but you don’t like going out to find clients and customers to purchase your products and services. You’ll network all day and night, yet when it comes to actually making the sale or closing the deal, you shy away from opportunities to bring in money. But if you don’t put in the work, the clients and customers won’t come.
2. You refuse to give up your current lifestyle to make time for your new business venture.
For some reason, you believe that with only 24 hours in a day, you can work your 9 to 5, spend time with your family, party with your girlfriends and watch all your favorite TV shows every week and STILL have time to build a profitable business. This is insane thinking. You can’t expect to get what you’ve never had if you aren’t willing to do what you’ve never done. Commit to a new weekly schedule that supports your business growth instead of holding on to a lifestyle that’s not helping you make money.
3. You’re waiting for your Prince Charming to come along so you don’t have to work at all.
I’ve actually spoken to quite a few single women who are holding back in their business because they just know their wealthy husband will show up soon. I’ve heard ladies say things like “well, when I find my Mr. Right, I won’t have to work this hard” or “when I get a man like [insert name of rich CEO/celebrity], I won’t have to struggle to find clients anymore.” This is living for the future instead of making your best life in the present. If you’re waiting for a “sponsor” or a rich husband to come along and sweep you off your feet, you might as well focus on that goal instead of working on your business. Because you don’t really want a business, you want someone to hand you success on a silver platter. You would rather have someone come save you and make your life easy than to do the work it takes to create the life you want for yourself.
4. You only do the bare minimum when it comes to marketing your business.
It’s so ironic how many of us will give our all at work, putting in late nights and overtime to help the company achieve their bottom line. But when it comes to your own business, you refuse to do more than the bare minimum to get your business off the ground. You got the business cards, but you keep putting off setting up your website. You go to networking events, but you won’t follow up with the people you meet. You created a Facebook page, but you won’t post on it more than once a week! This is self-sabotage at its ugliest.
5. You are attached to your own financial suffering.
You’re so used to living from paycheck to paycheck that you are secretly afraid of how your life would change if you actually had a large amount cash in the bank. Maybe people in your family would start asking you to borrow money. Maybe your friends would look at you differently. You may also experience feelings of guilt for succeeding when others around you are struggling. But you have to remember that other people’s problems are not your fault! Have compassion for everyone, but don’t hold yourself back just so you can “fit in” with those who are not making progress in their lives.
6. You refuse to invest any money in your business.
You can’t keep building your business with a budget of $0 forever. Although free marketing strategies and tools are great, unfortunately they only get you so far. Eventually, you will want and need to invest in a domain name, web hosting plan, logo, business cards, email marketing service, custom-designed website, advertising, part-time assistant, etc. Don’t get overwhelmed thinking you have to have everything in place right now – just make a priority list and purchase at least one thing you need for your business every month. The great news is that when you invest in your business, it becomes easier to ask others to invest in you.
7. You don’t spend your time on income-generating activities.
You allow yourself to get distracted easily. You often find yourself wasting hours on Facebook when you’re supposed to be working on your business. Many people complain about not having enough time to work on their business, yet neglect to fully utilize the free time they do have. Remember that the weekend is nice for relaxing, but it’s also a great time to work on your business! Take a few hours to get your website up and running, email prospective clients, finish your sales page, order new business cards, print off those flyers, etc. You may have limited time, but you can always choose to use the time you DO have to honor your business goals.
8. You’re attracting scarcity into your business through your own behavior.
If you’re feeling frustrated that your clients and customers are always trying to get some kind of hook-up, discount or free services and products out of you…take a look in the mirror to see if you’re putting the energy out into the universe with your own actions. Are YOU always crying broke or trying to get a discount or squeeze something free from other business owners? If so, start putting out the energy of abundance and support your fellow entrepreneurs by paying the full price for their services and products. Then you can be in complete integrity when you ask your clients and customers to invest fully in your offerings. Be the kind of client you want to attract!
You have to make the choice to do whatever it takes to build your business. Your life will change drastically once you adopt a “by any means necessary” approach as an entrepreneur. You don’t have to be Superwoman to achieve your business goals. But you DO have to let go of your excuses and give yourself permission to succeed.
Here are some resources to help you move forward:
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Can’t Knock the Hustle: 5 Ways to Make More Money in Your Business This Month
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Three Simple Ways to Start Making Money in Your Business Right Now
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Get Your Mind Right: 6 Lessons to Learn Before You Start Your Business
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Three Baby Steps You Can Take Today to Get Your Business Off the Ground
Leave a comment: Are any of these challenges keeping you from making money in your business? What is one small step you can take today to move forward?
Rosetta Thurman is a nationally-recognized author, speaker, mentor and coach dedicated to helping women create their ideal lives.
This is a really good list! I was guilty of #2, #6, and #7 for forever! Just within the last two months I finally gotten serious about building my blog and brand, which is so sad since I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years now. I rearranged my schedule so I can work on my blog in the morning before work and right when I get home from work but before my husband comes home. I’ve also dedicated Saturday mornings to my blog instead of spending hours doing my hair and watching YouTube videos! (Yup, I was that girl!)
For the longest, I used to make excuses about why I wouldn’t spend money on courses (if they did it without taking this course then why do I need it?!?) but when I started looking closer at my favorite bloggers’ success stories (including yours, Rosetta!) I realized that while the entrepreneur may not have done their own course when they were building their business (obviously), they *did* invest in other course that were available at the time, which is what allowed them to bust through their plateau and eventually craft the product they are now offering. I also got honest with myself and quit blowing $60 every time I went to Target so I would have $$$ to start investing in these things verses being salty every time a new course came out that I knew could help me, but I couldn’t afford it.
Thanks for this list Rosetta, awesome advice!
Reasons #6 and #8 are very interrelated. When you know how much money you have to invest into your business every month to make sales, then it becomes easier to ask for business when you know you have a bill coming up. Free tools are wonderful, but making strategic decisions about what tools are worth spending your money on helps you to make the mind shift from hobbyist to entrepreneur. What a great blog post!
That’s so true, Halona!
It was really good to read these. I am guilty of a few more than I’d care to admit.