Yesterday I was invited to collaborate on something which could turn out to be really incredible. I hope to be able to announce it in around 6 months or so.
I am frequently offered great opportunities, and even given “lucky breaks.” Believe me, I’m not offered these opportunities because I am the world’s greatest Hypnotist or the smartest guy in the room. I get these “lucky breaks” because I am constantly putting in the work. Even when I don’t have Hypnotherapy clients or am performing at events I am continuing to learn more about my craft, doing marketing, creating helpful and funny content for my audience, and learning more about the business of being an entrepreneur and small business owner. I am also consistently putting myself out there. I put myself into the public eye by creating and sharing content and by being present on social media. Like I tell my ‘Launch Your Entrepreneur/Hypnosis Career Now‘ students – people can’t benefit from your products or services if they don’t know what they are.
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” ―
I was working with a fledgling personal coach awhile back and talking about the importance of creating content. She was still working her day job, a barista at a coffee shop. She couldn’t get past the idea of “working for nothing.“ She earned $15 an hour as a barista and all she could see was that she’d be losing $30 by spending two hours to write a blog instead of working at the coffee shop.
Unless you can shift this type of thinking you’re not likely to be successful. The last time I spoke with her she was still at the coffee shop with no coaching clients. Of course there’s nothing wrong with being a barista unless you don’t want to be a barista.
One piece of advice I picked up from a YouTube video many years ago was this – if you know that you want/need to have 20 clients a week, then for every hour that you do NOT have a client you should be spending that time on marketing. Some people like the above client will take the opportunity to work more hours others like myself in the past consider the extra time as “free time” to watch TV or go play.
Want – 20 clients. Have – 5 clients (1 hour each).
20-5 = 15 hours spent on marketing.
I would consider that the minimum especially when you’re first starting out. And yes, I know that you don’t want to be a marketer or salesperson. I have many times thought, ‘If I wanted to be a marketer or salesperson I would have gone to school for that.’
This isn’t just true for Hypnotists, coaches, consultants, etc. but for many people who are entrepreneurs.
The other alternative is to pay someone else to do sales and marketing and if you can afford to do so, that’s great. That can be a fine strategy for funnel building, email marketing, and more. However, many things like videos, writing, etc. are going to be better if you at least play some role in them.
But, that part can also be fun. It’s very rewarding when you get a positive comment on a YouTube video, an email from someone who liked your blog article, or a personal message from someone on social media thanking you for the impact that you had on them.
“Nearly every ‘lucky break’ that I’ve had can be traced back to specific actions that I undertook. Rarely were these actions intentionally directed towards what became the ‘lucky break’.
Do the work, and ‘luck’ will find you.”
Take Care, Be Well, Be Awesome!
Your Success Is My Success™
Jim
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