by Justina Ford | Mar 7, 2022 | Business Mindset, Mindset To Manifest, Visibility Mindset and Strategy |
When you want to create impact and influence, using your business is one of the key ways to do it. This will also directly affect your business, bringing you more credibility and visibility. Of course, this doesn’t need to be done with any prideful intentions, but with the motive to genuinely make a difference in other people’s lives. Here are five ways to do this through your business.
5 Ways to Create Impact and Influence Through Your Business
1. create impact and influence by Supporting a cause.
There are many causes and nonprofit organizations that you can choose to link arms with and promote with your business. You can support them through donations, contributing a percentage of your business’ sales to them, and volunteering (if applicable). If there isn’t a cause you feel particularly drawn to, you could always start one!
2. Enhance your social media presence.
Showing up and being visible online can be intimidating for entrepreneurs. It’s easy to hide behind word posts and graphics; however, you can create a great influence when you open up and allow people to actually see you. If you’re not used to going live or showing up personally online, the more you do it, the more comfortable you’ll become. Consider working in a daily live challenge to help you create a bigger impact through your business.
3. Show up with purpose.
In today’s world, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd, especially if your field is saturated. One way to navigate getting lost in the crowd is to show up with purpose. Make sure you are adding value to everything you are saying and doing. People will be drawn to you because your value is having some sort of impact and influence in their lives.
4. create impact and influence by Connecting with your audience more often than not.
As your audience grows, it may seem impossible to connect with them all. However, this is where showing up online in a variety of ways is beneficial. When you are live, interact with those tuning in. If someone shares your content, make an effort to comment on it and thank them for sharing your content. Ask for responses and replies when sending emails and when they do, be sure to actually respond. You’ll be surprised by the impact this will make on your audience (and they’ll talk about it too!).
5. Adopt the storytelling method.
People are always looking for connections. And truth be told, they can see straight through the fluff. The art of storytelling allows you to use your own personal experiences, circumstances, and situations to connect with your audience and in return build trust. When you use storytelling, you can create a bigger impact and influence, which will lead to more visibility and sales.
Final Thoughts
Creating an impact and influence through your business comes with many benefits. Not only does it help you keep your why alive, but it also helps you stay focused on your motive to serve your customers and clients. Use the tips and suggestions above to help set you and your business apart from others while creating a lasting ripple effect.
by Justina Ford | Feb 28, 2022 | Business Mindset, Visibility Mindset and Strategy |
On one of my inner circle group coaching calls, the question of being multi-passionate came up. But not just being multi-passionate. The question revolved around knowing when to scale down, fuse together, and/or find that place of being confident in what you should be doing. I believe many women in business struggle with this because we’re told to niche down, carve away, and only pick one avenue to travel down.
In all actuality, it is very possible to have several passions and fuse them into your kingdom business model. Here’s how!
The Secret to Fusing Your Multi-Passionate Ways Into Your Kingdom Business Model
Be visible with purpose.
There is never really a reason to hide any of your passions. The only reason would be if it directly takes away from your ability to show up and show up with purpose. Sometimes you may find yourself not feeling confident with a certain piece you want to put out; however, you’ll want to check and see if it’s attached to visibility insecurity or if it’s something you shouldn’t do.
Focus on one thing at a time.
While being multi-passionate is certainly okay, sometimes it can cause us to want to chase every idea we have all at the same time. This is where it can get overwhelming and stressful. I tell my clients to focus on one thing at a time. In some cases, you may want to create a to-do list and write everything down. If God gave you the idea, that means you’re going to do it, but it may not be at that exact moment. This leads me to my next point…
Be okay with working on the current thing and seeing it through.
Getting in the habit of committing and completing something through to the end will help you when it’s time to pivot in your business. How often have you already jumped around, leaving ideas unattended or incomplete because you’ve started something new? This, too, can become a habit but one that doesn’t work for the benefit of your overall business. Not to mention, you’ll train yourself to misuse your multi-passionate ways.
Making following through a priority.
As multi-passionate women, it’s easy to bounce around from idea to idea without actually seeing it through. To prevent this from becoming your norm, make following through with your idea a priority. This means focusing on that one thing, creating the plan from beginning to end, and executing. You’ll be able to focus completely on everything involved without having to space yourself out.
Final Thoughts about fusing your multi-passionate ways
The overall takeaways I want you to get from this post are understanding that (1) you can absolutely be multi-passionate, and (2) there are ways to fuse your passions into your kingdom business model. Your business model may not look like mine, and that’s okay. The goal is to become comfortable with what you have to offer. Learning how to make your multi-passionate work cohesively will be the best thing you’ve ever done for your business!
by Justina Ford | Feb 14, 2022 | Business Mindset, Money & Sales Mindset |
Pivoting in business happens all the time. Most entrepreneurs start out on one path and end up creating several different ones along the way. While this may seem scary and like something you’d like to prevent from doing, not doing it could cost you money. Here are several tips on why pivoting in business is safe and a few pieces of advice about what happens when you fail to do so.
What does pivoting in business mean?
Simply put, when you decide to pivot in your business, you’re simply changing a few aspects of its core to better serve you and your clients. This can look like a number of things from changing products, adding services, or doing something different altogether.
Why is pivoting important in business?
Since pivoting means changing the direction of your business, it is typically necessary to ensure that what you’re offering continues to be valuable. Perhaps the current programs and/or services are not meeting the needs of your ideal client. Therefore, it is wise to step back and create a new strategy that will help you reach your goals and those set for your clients.
3 Reasons Why Pivoting in Business is Safe
1. Pivoting allows you to refocus.
Staying focused on your business mission, vision, and goals is one of the reasons that keep people going. However, when the path to those becomes foggy, it can be hard to see where your business is going. When you decide to pivot, seeking clarity (or refocusing) should be the top priority. Through your ability to refocus, you can ensure that you are doing exactly what you need to be doing and serving the right people through doing it.
2. Pivoting gives you the ability to recalibrate.
Recalibrating yourself (and your business) involves changing the way you do or think about something. As you go through the refocusing process, pay attention to anything that needs to be done differently in your business. Sometimes this means coming up with new programs, offering different services, and the like.
3. Pivoting gives you the opportunity to reset.
Once you’ve refocused and recalibrated, now you’re ready to reset. Again, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be starting over from scratch. However, the new strategy that you implement will take some time to roll out. Give yourself grace and don’t hesitate to keep your customers/clients in the know of what you have going on. The last thing you want to do is switch things up on your followers and leave them confused.
How Not Pivoting Sooner is Costing You Money
Now that we’ve talked about all the reasons why it’s okay to pivot in your business, let’s chat for a brief moment about what happens when you don’t. Not every hardship, question, or concern calls for a business pivot; however, there are times when you may be ignoring the signs to do so.
For starters, not pivoting when you could decrease your revenue. If you’ve invested hours and hours into creating courses, writing out coaching programs, putting out new resources and none of it sells… then you’ve pretty much wasted one of your most valuable assets. Then what happens is you have a bunch of products and services that no one is purchasing. Sure, you could find ways to reuse that content; however, without knowing what caters to your ideal client, you’ll only be wasting more time.
Not pivoting when you could also hinder your visibility. While you’re trying to show up in one aspect, it’s actually not reaching your ideal audience. Again, we’re talking about wasting time, energy, resources, etc.
Last but not least, not pivoting sooner than later could cause you to completely walk away from your calling. I’ve seen this happen before. Someone doesn’t see the return on what they’re trying to do and they run in the opposite direction. Instead, had they had taken that step back to come up with a new strategy and pivot their business, they’d be successful today!
Final Thoughts
As you move along your entrepreneurial journey, there will definitely be times when you may need to consider pivoting in business. And I’m here to tell you that it’s 100% safe and effective when done appropriately. This isn’t a one-time decision, change everything right now kind of thing. Instead, it takes coming up with a strategy that will smoothly transition your business into a new direction. Once you’ve done so, your data will show whether or not you’ve made moves in the right direction.
by Justina Ford | Feb 7, 2022 | Business Mindset, Mindset To Manifest, Spirituality |
If you are standing in God’s way of His plans for your life, chances are you may be blocking your blessings. How do you know if you are standing in His way? What are the signs that you are blocking blessings or acting on the wrong desires? Let’s chat about that!
Are you in God’s way?
One of the telltale signs that you are in God’s way is if you are operating your business based on the comparison. This typically looks like adopting your systems and practices according to what you see someone else doing. In most cases, this stems from some sort of self-doubt or self-sabotage. It’s equivalent to telling yourself that your own creativity and gifts aren’t good enough.
Another indicator involves not having true clarity around what you should be doing. I believe God will always make His desires known for our lives. It’s simply a matter of coming into alignment with them and having the boldness to walk them out.
Last but not least, sometimes being in God’s way looks like justifying your own desires. To know the difference between if a desire is yours or God’s, you can start with prayer. Assuming you already have a relationship with Him, praying about His will for your life and revelation for what you should be doing will always be confirmed. Then, go to the Word. If your desires line up with His Word, you’re on the right track.
Being in God’s way does not only hinder your personal relationship with Him but also your growth in all areas. This doesn’t mean just in the area of business, but also in relationships. Standing in His way also comes with the consequences of blocked blessings. Here’s how.
3 Ways You May Be Blocking Your Blessings
1. Pride
Pride can go either way. Perhaps you’ve been knocked down and you allow pride to keep you down longer than you need to be. On the other end, pride can come in the form of knowing what’s best for you, therefore you may lack consulting God as much as you should. Either way, pride is something that God hates and we should always seek to have balance in that area.
2. Self-Doubt and Self-Sabotage
I touched on this one a bit earlier. Simply put, anytime you think you are not good enough, it can cause you to operate in a way that’s not true to yourself. It will cause you to make decisions based on other people’s success versus what God wants to do specifically through how He created you. While these can stem from a number of things, one thing’s for sure is they can cause you to lose godly focus.
3. Holding Onto Past Limiting Beliefs
There’s no doubt that we all have some form of limiting beliefs to navigate through. However, the biggest difference between staying stagnant and becoming successful is knowing how to release yourself from them. Holding onto past limiting beliefs means you won’t be able to focus on what God is trying to do in your life now. That ripples into how you are meant to impact others as well.
Final Thoughts about blocking your blessings
I know you don’t want to purposefully stand in God’s way nor do you want to block His blessings in your life. The first step I recommend taking is looking at your life and being honest about the areas that may show resistance towards God’s calling for you. Then, begin to identify any of the blessing-blockers mentioned above (if any). It starts with being conscious about things that need to change, then making the decision to change them. One-step and one thing at a time.
by Justina Ford | Jan 24, 2022 | Business Mindset, Visibility Mindset and Strategy |
When I speak of getting clarity on your business pillars, this is the same thing as saying creating content pillars. These are similar because when it comes to knowing what you will offer your customers and clients, you’ll want to come across crystal clear. This clarity will also come in handy when it’s time to promote your services. Below are practical ways to get the clarity you need so you can confidently identify your business (or content) pillars.
Ways to Get Clarity on Your Business Pillars
Begin with why you started your business in the first place.
You started your business for a reason and most likely it was to provide a solution, educate, train, etc your ideal client in some form or fashion. Did you start to help stay-at-home moms successfully launch a signature course? Are you looking to help other women in business create content that will grow their business? Or, did you start your coach company to help business owners in a particular niche? Whatever the reasons, it is here where you’ll begin to identify the what concerning your business pillars.
Narrow down your focus to a few key things.
It’s easy to come up with five to ten ways you’d like to serve or create in your business. However, how much of that are you truly willing to invest your time into. Your primary focus may start with a signature course then branch into an inner circle coaching call, mini sessions, or one-on-one containers. Before you jump into selling, you want to have a foundation and clear pillars to how you want to filter content through your business. But first, you need to brainstorm according to your ability to follow through with what you want to put out.
Decide how many pillars your business will stand on.
Here’s an example of what I mean by different pillars. A labor and birth coach may focus on nutrition during pregnancy, postpartum care, and exercise through pregnancy. Another labor and delivery coach may focus more on self-care during pregnancy, emotional stability during labor, and post-partum care. These are different pillars that distinguish from their overall expertise in helping moms through the labor and birthing process. One is choosing to maximize her potential to help by not only creating content around her primary pillars nutrition, exercise, and postpartum care, but also creating services around those pillars also.
Identify your business pillars.
Although you’ll be writing these down, they are not something you’ll need to stay married to. As you evolve, your business will evolve as well. Pay attention to the shifts that occur and be open to moving with those, especially if they pave the way to help you better serve your clients. If you haven’t done so already, grab a piece of paper and start with the first suggestion. Then, when you get to this step, write the words “My Business Pillars” across the top of the paper. Start writing down your pillars. These will be similar to an umbrella or the overall solutions you want to offer, pain points your clients deal with, and your personal expertise. Beneath them, you can then go into more detail with the themes and services you’ll focus on..
Here’s an example:
The structure my business is built on is Intuitive Business Coaching and Healing. The pillars that hold this structure up are mindset, messaging, manifesting. Even more, fleshed out they look like this:
- Healing & Manifesting God’s Way
- Brand Messsaging & Positioning
- Visibility Mindset
- Sales and Money Mindset
- Beauty and Presence
Now beneath these pillars are a variety of self-paced courses, live courses with inner circle coaching calls, one-on-one containers, a training vault, and downloadable resources that fall under coaching, certification, brand agency services, beauty agency services, and book publishing. But it all begins with your brand pillars, and also starting with one service and growing into the others.
Final Thoughts
The sole purpose of getting clarity on your business pillars is so you can confidently talk about the value of what you have to offer people. You’ll also be able to better connect with your ideal customer and client. And, your marketing message will be elevated. If this is something you’d like to get help with, I’d love to connect and work with you! Whether you want one-on-one coaching or to join the next inner circle group coaching program, I will help you get the clarity you need to move your business forward.
by Justina Ford | Jan 16, 2022 | Business Mindset, Visibility Mindset and Strategy |
As an entrepreneur, you know the importance of being able to reach your ideal clients. Thing is, very few know how to go beyond the demographics to reach them. Business 101 involves building an avatar that would help identify who your business will help. It’s time to step into Business 201 and learn how to take your avatar up a notch. Here’s how to do just that.
How to Go Beyond the Demographics to Reach Your Ideal Clients
It’s important to keep your ideal customer-based narrowed down; however, there are ways to expand it to include ideal clients you may have never thought you’d reach. This is where understanding how to go beyond the demographics comes into the picture.
Re-evaluate the locations your ideal customer may be.
As we continue moving forward in our technologically advanced world, this means you have even more platforms to reach your ideal clients. Take a look at what platforms you’re currently using and gather the following data:
- How often you’re posting on it.
- The amount of engagement received from ideal clients.
- Return on investment (of time and any money spent on it).
With the data from the previous points, you can decide if that platform is still worth you using for reaching your ideal clients. If not, look at other options.
Add an interest and hobbies point to your avatar.
When first establishing your avatar, it’s normal to include the age, location, gender, and personality. It’s even common to add his or her spirituality status, but rarely will you think to include their interests and hobbies. Why is this important? For starters, identifying specific hobbies and interests will open up new doors for creating content around those points and open new doors to finding your ideal clients.
Including interests and hobbies will make connecting with your ideal clients more personable. Knowing that your client likes cycling may not seem important to what she is coming to you for, but it provides another layer of trust.
Maximize the description section on your platforms to describe your ideal clients.
Avatar aside, you can go beyond the demographics to reach your ideal clients by writing about them in the description section on your social media platforms. Each of the different platforms provides you with a small space to add a description and most people choose to talk about themselves. While that certainly helps people get to know you, you could also use that space to talk about who your ideal clients are.
Here are a few examples:
- Moms of small children who want to launch their new business.
- Women of faith looking to grow their visibility.
- Multi-passionate women that want to leverage social media to grow their business.
- Middle-age women looking to self-publish their story.
These are just a few examples of how you can utilize the description space to speak directly to those you want to attract and connect with. Notice how each of the samples is short and sweet. When someone lands on your page and reads that, they’ll either stick around or they won’t. You should never be out for numbers, but out for those who want what you have to give.
Final Thoughts
It doesn’t take much to go beyond the typical demographics to reach your ideal clients. The three tips above are great starting points for taking your avatar to the next level so you can reach more people who need the services and products that you offer. Take some time to evaluate your current avatar. Make any necessary tweaks and add the suggestions above. Then, take the actions to position yourself to reach out with what you’ve discovered.
If you need help with visibility positioning, I’d love to connect with you!
