Earthquakes, windstorms, and fire ants
You are in for a lesson about universal balance in your life and business. It will give you clarity that you didn’t know was possible.
But first, please indulge me in a story that I’ve been waiting 25 years to tell.
While I was stationed in the small desert town of Barstow, California, they announced that the band Earth, Wind & Fire was coming to play a concert at the local Sportspark. At least a thousand people, along with the town mayor and the duck from the local KDUC radio station turned out for the event. We waited for a few hours before they finally declared the band a no-show.
The next day’s headline: Earth, Wind & Fire blows off the concert
The following day: Car trouble stalls Earth, Wind & Fire
Day three: Earth, Wind & Fire had no clue about the concert
The band was never booked!
Are the elements showing up for you?
Just like Earth, Wind & Fire didn’t show up that day for the people of Barstow, there’s a good chance that the essential elements are not showing up in your business.
So often I meet with a potential client, they get excited about crafting a world class signature talk, and then they get cold feet. After a few rounds of scratch n sniff, we realize that they are nowhere near ready for speech coaching.
Their earth, wind, fire, and water are out of balance.
If the universal elements are too profound for a blog post, let’s use the DISC personality assessment instead.
D is your direction, the water element. This represents the flow of your business. Are you moving toward the right goals, and taking the right steps to reach them?
I is the influence, the wind element. The wind carries your message and spreads your influence. What do you want prospects and clients to know about you?
S is the support, the fire element. Your desires, your beliefs, and your passion that drives the business are every bit as important as your CRM system.
C represents the core operations of your business, the earth element. This includes the tangible elements such as products, packaging, and your business inventory.
What's it worth to you?
Implementing all of this can be time-consuming and expensive. You can hire people to help you build and maintain each of these elements.
- Business coaches help with systems and goalsetting.
- Tech specialists build your website and online presence.
- Hypnotherapists, meditation guides, astrologers, therapists, and life coaches help you get past the mental clutter.
- As for the wind element, your messaging, your influence ... enter the FIT Presenter.
I personally have paid thousands for each of these services. Some have yielded better results than others. Kudos yet again to Craig Valentine for the influence piece. In each case, I didn't know what I was looking for before I laid out the debit card.
Wouldn't it be nice to know what you're looking for before you make an important decision to grow your business? Wouldn't it be nice to get a true assessment of where your business is and what success looks like before you find it? Wouldn't it be nice to give an honest expression of your concerns for the future of your business?
Bring balance to your business
I have created a new tool called the Business Element Assessment to help solopreneurs gauge their strengths and shortcomings.
This is your opportunity to get a true measure of where your business stands and what it takes to get where you want to go next.
- Gain a better definition of the services you offer
- Identify your missing elements, and find resources to gain balance
- Create a growth strategy, and know what growth looks like
- Give an honest expression of the true status of your business
- Identify and address your willingness and resistance to change
- Make informed decisions about hiring your next coach or done-for-you service. No more shiny objects!
Coaches charge thousands of dollars to explore this information with you over several months, if not years. You, however, can take the assessment for a fraction of what I have paid to get this far.
We sit down for two interviews of an hour apiece, and then you come away with a writeup of 8-10 pages that serves as a template for as long as you run your business.
Let's meet on Zoom to get started on DISCovering your Elements!
