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What to focus on to double your results this year

Today’s talking points:

This is exactly why you need to create (and stick to) a focused and flexible plan. Don’t worry, I’ll show you how.

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A plan only works if you work the plan, but what if you're struggling to stick to the plan? What do you do when the plan goes completely out the window?

Relatable, right?

Sometimes we're dealing with personal challenges that disrupt our business. Sometimes we have to navigate external challenges that we can't control. Sometimes… it’s both.

A boss knows that the key to sustainable success is a combination of being focused and flexible with the strategic plan that they have put in place.

So in this final instalment of the Unsexy Secrets to Sustainable Success, I'm gonna be sharing with you how you can be both focused and flexible as you navigate new challenges in life and business.

let’s get real

In an ideal world, we have a plan and we stick to it. But in reality, it's not always possible.

This year, both my clients and I have experienced situations that highlighted the importance of being simultaneously focused and flexible in our plans.

When you're so focussed on the day-to-day of your business and if your business is operating day to day, it doesn't leave any room for error, it doesn't leave any room for the challenges that might show up and throw you a curveball. Because curveballs will come your way…

the internal curveball

Curveballs generally fall into two categories - internal and external curveballs.

The internal curveball is an internal challenge that affects you personally and your ability to show up consistently in your business. For instance, this could involve your kids being sick. I recently had a client who experienced this when her young daughter contracted a viral infection, which subsequently spread to both her and her husband and wiped them out of work for a week.

Ask yourself: Could your business handle an illness that compels you to step away for a week or even longer, as you tend to your well-being and your family's needs? If you haven't proactively worked ahead on your plan, numerous tasks and commitments could easily slip through the cracks. Then imagine if this happened in the lead-up to a launch, likely the promotion would fall apart.

With a well-structured plan, clear priorities, and established systems in your business, you can navigate such challenges. Even if you find yourself spending a fortnight on the couch watching all the Harry Potter movies while tending to your ailing kids, your business can continue to operate seamlessly in your absence. By working ahead of your plan, taking time off doesn't need to escalate into a problem. It doesn’t need to be a big deal. This level of security is invaluable.

My clients have been through things this year from illnesses, breakups, house moves, and deaths in the family, but the one thing they have in common is knowing that they had a plan in place for their business, which allowed them to drop everything and focus on their life without worrying about the business.

the external curveball

The second curveball? The thing that’s happening externally but impacts your clients or the world in general.

Let me give you an example. Let's rewind a bit to 2016, during the lead-up to the presidential election. Remember when Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton were facing off? It felt like the whole world was holding its breath, right? There were debates which had a real impact on a lot of businesses.

Businesses were putting a ton of money into Facebook ads. But the more money they poured in, the more expensive the ads became. It was like everyone wanted a piece of the pie. And this had a ripple effect on businesses trying to launch new programs. Their plans got all mixed up, and their launch numbers ended up way off.

So in this example, businesses might have thought, Okay, let's shift the sales strategy towards more of an evergreen enrollment model, and focus on launches instead of ads.

So external challenges tend to be like that election year where the public might be focused on something other than your business. The conversation is not focused on you in your business and so it's your job as the boss as CEO, to come up with a flexible plan to adapt and adjust so you can still achieve your goals so you can still move the business forward.

the internal and external curveball

The third curveball is this combination of internal and external challenges, and they can implode businesses.

Amidst the pandemic, a multitude of us grappled with internal hurdles - the juggling act of sickness, kids at home needing care and schooling, the whole nine yards. Suddenly, we found ourselves wrapped up in this new concept called social distancing, confined within our four walls. These internal struggles, however, were like puzzle pieces of a larger external challenge, the global pandemic itself. As this virus raged on, many businesses felt the economic blow early on, whole cities shuttering to slow its spread and tame that unruly curve. Our potential clients? Well, they were caught up in a whirlwind of news updates that changed often.

We have all seen clearly how quickly the stability of our businesses can be tested. That's why having a focused and flexible plan is so crucial to your long-term success. You want to be able to adapt and adjust quickly for any type of curveball that's thrown your way.

the plan is essential

When we are flying by the seat of our pants, making everything up as we go winging it. We aren't building a strong foundation for our business to lean on when things don't go according to plan.

This is why those weekly prep meetings, monthly check-ins, and quarterly boss retreats hold such a crucial place. The weekly prep meeting – a simple practice that's been a mainstay for me over the years. This meeting is all about you, the boss, taking a moment to track your progress on the 90-day plan, tweak it as needed, and get your upcoming week in order.

In this weekly sit-down, you'll make sure your marketing and promotions are mapped out. It's an hour, tops, and it serves as your accountability partner, helping you stay true to your plan.

Now, when I initially brought this up, I know you might think, "Why should I spare an extra hour for planning? Time's already short." Here's the scoop, boss: an hour invested in planning saves you a whopping ten hours when it comes to getting things done. Yeah, you heard me right. This is precisely why your weekly prep meeting is a game-changer. It saves you precious hours you'd otherwise spend struggling to get organised or back on track. Plus, it keeps you regularly in check, helping you spot and tackle challenges before they escalate.

Ever since I shared this method with my clients, we’ve seen remarkable results together. They're finding a sweet spot between focus and flexibility, and they're sticking to it. By the end of a 90-day planning session, each of my clients will have a list of action items to achieve their goals and they've even planned out the timelines for each action step.

When you feel more confident in your plans, you make executive decisions faster, and you just do the damn thing. No more procrastination, no more waffling around your decisions. That was no longer happening for these women who follow this process that I teach. They were quickly making moves in their business and stepping into their boss level.

I'll admit, it might not sound like the sexiest thing – setting aside time to plan your next 90 days. But trust me, this process isn't just transforming my business; it's revolutionising the businesses of the women who've embraced it wholeheartedly. And it's doing something even more remarkable – it's changing their lives. I kid you not, I'm getting messages from clients saying they're finally taking weekends off, and they're soaking in a long-lost lifestyle. One client hit the road on a bus with her partner, truly living her dream. Can you imagine that? This process isn't just about having a plan; it's about owning it, working it, and steering your business instead of letting it steer you. It's not just practical; it's profoundly empowering.

implementation over information

What has been most interesting to me through all the one on one and group planning sessions I've done with clients over the years was watching how impactful they were when it came to their own implementation.

So, my master plan, coming up next year as part of my signature offer, is to set up a training hub loaded with master classes, mini-courses, and more. But, let's focus on the star of the show – the quarterly boss retreats, designed to give you that laser-sharp focus. You don't have to feel like you need to plough through all those master classes before you start taking action.

So it might be that one of your 90-day goals is that you want to grow your email list. And I'll then encourage you to focus on a masterclass to help you with that this month. Nothing else.

I know, my community is filled with lifelong learners, me too, but no matter how much I tried to help previously with all of the content, resources and offerings, I would see them get stuck. Trying to learn everything, trying to take notes on everything, trying to master everything before they will take action. They were never gonna get it, they were never going to master it.

The truth is, mastery is not about information. Mastery is about implementation. It's the practice, the hours put in, and the actual doing that matter. And guess what? That focus on implementation is a game-changer. Consider a web designer I know who worked following this system, she honed in on vital strategies during her first 90 days, learned to up her prices, and swiftly made it happen. She discovered the power of her referral sources and SEO, bypassing the noise of social media and content marketing which didn’t work for her. That clarity, that laser focus – it made her unstoppable, needing minimal additional training. Another client of mine was able to take a week off and still see her business flourish, earning 30k in the first half of the year, matching her entire earnings for 2022.

When you grasp which strategies pack the most punch with the least effort and time, you don't need a marketing PhD. You can maximise your returns on energy, time, and investment. That's the sweet spot for us CEOs – finding the actions that yield big results with minimal input. It's all about that ROI, return on investment.

I love creating training, and I love creating content but what I have found is when I overlay that content with this framework, with the planning processes of the quarterly boss retreat, the monthly prep meeting and the weekly prep meeting true magic starts to happen for people's businesses.

They didn't need to first press pause and invest hundreds of hours trying to learn all the things before they go out there and implement. They can gain clarity and quickly have what they actually need and become self-leaders, achieving remarkable success without burning out.

That’s a wrap

As we wrap up the Unsexy Secrets to Sustainable Success series.

We covered the distinction between strategy and tactics for an income breakthrough. Remember, having the big picture strategy is your North Star, guiding your choices on specific tactics. By grasping this, you'll confidently navigate trends and new developments, ensuring your alignment and avoiding the tug of various directions.

We also looked at profit plans and the significance of crafting a 12-month profit plan. It's an investment of time to chart out your year, map your marketing strategies, and set up a promotional calendar. While it might seem like slowing down, it's the essential foundation for speeding up your success. Flying by the seat of your pants, constantly improvising marketing and sales strategies, is a one-way ticket to feast-or-famine mode.

In this blog post, we explored the dynamic duo of focused and flexible planning. With ongoing external and internal challenges, you need a strategy and support system to take the reins as the boss. It's a tough task, but the decisions you make now shape the future of your business. Remember, no one cares about your business as much as you do.

If you've missed any episodes in the Unsexy Secrets to Sustainable Success series, I recommend heading over to the podcast or checking out the other blog posts.

Remember, sustainable success isn't about flashy shortcuts. It's about building a strong foundation, embracing strategic planning, and utilising the right support to navigate challenges and rise above. Your journey toward a thriving, sustainable business begins with a well-crafted plan and the determination to make it happen.

You got this, boss!