Explosive Growth in 2017

A Year of Explosive Growth for Have Ledger Will Travel, A Passion for Writing, and You

When 2017 rolled in, I knew to the depths of my soul that this would be the year I got my business going in a big way. How did I know? Faith. Pure and simple.

Of course, I also knew business wasn’t going to super-charge itself. I had to pay attention to the hints I would be getting to move things along.

Adding Tools to My Tool Box

One of those hints was to pick up Gina Horkey’s VA course where I left off and really see it through. It took me a few months to get there, but I’m taking an hour or so a day now to do just that.

Another hint was to expand my skill base. I helped a friend set up a new website to strengthen my skills there, but also to find out where I needed to fill in some blanks. Some of them are being filled by the VA course, but others will require searching out other resources.

Biting Off Just a Little Bit More Than I Can Chew

I’m also learning not to overwhelm myself. It has been easy to go off on 15 tangents, never completing a single one. That’s what got me where I am today. I have a list of things I want to study, but am focusing on one or two at the moment. The VA course alone is introducing me to new tools I’m working hard to master.

The biggest hint of all has been the less-than-gentle nudge to move farther away from my comfort zone. When a woman from an entrepreneur’s group I recently joined offered a free coaching session, I figured I had nothing to lose. From that session, I got a book recommendation; Harry Beckwith’s Selling the Invisible, and a suggestion that I put together a webinar geared towards one of the types of client towards whom I’ve begun to gravitate.

Now I can read books and do self-study courses until the cows come home. Neither is a stretch for me. But to put myself out there in front of people? I’d almost rather bungee jump. Or at least that was the case before I gave myself a swift kick and jumped without benefit of a parachute or net into the world of Facebook Live.

From Zero to Over-Achiever in Three Sessions

I figured it would be a testing ground to determine whether talking to a camera was something I could even make work. Three videos in, I’ve found I’m making it work…almost too well.

My first video was about 50 seconds long. My second was over 12 minutes, and the latest is more than 13 minutes long. Yikes! And this after I’d cut a 6 minute video someone else made short because I got bored with the length. (OK, so I also got bored with the laundry list of her life, her husband, her child, and what I considered a lot of unnecessary fluff.) Like so many things in my life, I’m learning both by doing and from watching what others are doing.

Learning As I Go

Using my own lack of patience as a guideline, I’ve vowed to keep my Facebook videos at 2 to 3 minutes. This means actually planning some of what I’m going to say and using a timer to ensure I adhere to the KISS method of public speaking.

I’ve watched enough webinars to know you have to leave people wanting more. Otherwise, they have no reason to come back. And above all, don’t spend a lot of time on the infinite details of your personal life or the amount of money you make and the things you buy. Both have had me hitting the stop button on numerous occasions.

Pick Someone Who Does Things Well and Learn From Them

I’m actually learning a lot from life coach Carolyn Maul who is both well-spoken and inspirational. She’s found a nice balance between friendly and informative, and butt kicking. From her, I’m learning the former. In my line of work, the latter isn’t really a factor, unless it’s my own.

In short, the last 3 years have taught me many things, but the ones which are driving me now are:

• Your comfort zone is not a good place. You need to get out of it as quickly as possible.
• Know how many balls you can successfully juggle.
• Trying to learn too many things at once will have you learning nothing well.
• Putting too many new activities into play will leave you doing many things, none of them well.
• Be selective and stick with what you select unless there’s a good reason to dump something and move on.
• Let no one tell you when it’s time to add another ball, or drop one for that matter. Only you can be the judge of when you’ve reached a point where the things you were learning are steady enough to support something new.
• Listen to the guidance you receive from your own gut. Act on it without hesitation.
• In writing, you have to get words on the page. You can’t edit a blank page. In other words, get out there and move. You can always backtrack and adjust. But if you’re doing nothing, you cannot adjust or improve.

Making the Laws of Attraction Work

Many critics of the Laws of Attraction talk about how it encourages people to sit around and wait for things to happen. Yet, if you really listen to the people who support the concept, that isn’t what they’re saying at all.

By believing in yourself and your ability to attract whatever you desire, what you’re really attracting is opportunities. You still have to get off your duff and act on those opportunities. Too many people miss the key to the entire process, or they just want something for nothing.

I’ve kicked my own Laws of Attraction into high gear. It means I’ve honed my senses to recognize opportunities, but it also means I am doing a lot of things to position myself. I want to be ready to move when those opportunities show themselves.

Are You Ready for Explosive Growth in 2017?

2017 is my year, but I won’t make it so by sitting down and watching the parade go by. Helping small businesses thrive is how I intend to make it happen. If you’re ready to offload some of the administrative work so you can grow your business, visit either my Writing Services Hire Me Page or my Virtual Business Consulting Hire Me Page. Take a look at the many ways I can help your business run more smoothly. Or simply click the blue box at the bottom of the home page and schedule a free, no obligation 15-minute call to discuss your needs and challenges. I can’t wait to talk to you!