Fun Business Fun Money Podcast
EP 041 – Where are you hiding?
Visibility isn’t just about marketing and showing up – there can be some other factors at play that help you ‘hide’ in your business.
It might seem silly and insignificant but it can also hold you back from achieving your goals.
In this longer coaching episode we take a closer look at 3 key areas where you might be hiding – and what you can do about it!
TRANSCRIPT
Hey there, and welcome to the Fun Business Fun Money podcast!
If you’re listening in real time today is Tuesday 16th May, which means its time for another in depth coaching episode! We take a closer look at a specific area of your business, money or life and figure out some steps forward.
You might think from the title of this episode, where are you hiding, that we’re playing hide and seek! And we kind of are, but not in the traditional sense.
Where are you hiding in your business?
This isn’t just about visibility, although thats certainly something that prompted me to focus on this one today. Have you noticed how many people are talking about visibility for your business lately? Maybe its just me and my social media feeds, but its like they’re trying to coax people back out after the pandemic lol
Now, I’m NOT a business coach who has a marketing background, thats not my forte.
When I talk about visibility its about bringing your whole self, the full power of your personality, into everything you do.
I’ve had this phrase “where are you hiding” in my head for YEARS, I first heard it in a coaching session I watched Rich Litvin do. He’s basically a leadership coach for coaches, he wrote the book “The Prosperous Coach” which I absolutely loved and have read multiple times.
In that session he was coaching someone with long hair and it kept falling across their face when they dipped their head forward. Thats a super common thing of course, but it struck me like a freight train when he stopped mid sentence and asked if they had a hair tie or something to pull their hair back.
He then redirected the focus to this concept of hiding via your face, which is such a powerful communication tool through expressions and tiny nuances, to where ELSE in your life are you hiding?
Its not intended to be culturally offensive so I apologise if that triggers anything for anyone, but its an interesting way of looking at what we’re doing, how we’re showing up and the people we’re interacting with.
There are 3 key areas I want to touch on around this topic, some obvious, others not so much.
1 – BUSY WORK
Yes, staying busy with work itself is a way of hiding in your business!
What are the things that you’re doing to keep yourself busy and ultimately hold you back from achieving your goals?
If you’re a Ruler money archetype the very thought of that will be strange, like what? Who on earth would hold themselves back from a goal?? Well, pretty much all of the money archetypes do that in some form or another, including Rulers!
If you’re just new to the concept of money archetypes, don’t worry I’ve got you covered.
Its a modality I use to identify not only your relationship with money, but also the way you engage with your audience and ideal clients.
I gave an overview of each of them in episode 3 which is titled Unlock the Power of your Money Personality, and also in episode 29, on buyer behaviour. You can go check those out after you’re done with this episode!
Lets say you’re booking yourself on back to back calls with clients because its a money making activity, thats a good thing.
But whats not so good about it is your self care, especially if you’re an introvert like me.
The amount of energy you expend on those calls has to be replenished on a regular basis, not just at the end of something. And while I absolutely do get a temporary buzz while I’m on those calls, I can quickly crash afterwards.
That leads to needing to take a day off and reprioritise other things I REALLY wanted to do, because my energy is zapped.
I know its different for extroverts who thrive on interaction with others, but you can create busy work in different ways so don’t go thinking I don’t see you over there!
By filling your time with client calls and people interactions, you’re letting other areas of your business slide.
If you’re a solopreneur, and most small business owners are, you might be ignoring your marketing, or your finances, or your personal life, or the fact that you need to train and delegate to a new team member so you can have more time.
Basically, if you’re too busy with work theres no need to deal with the next step of growth in your business, even though thats the thing you say you really want.
Status quo is a hiding mechanism.
I LOVE seeing my clients not only make more money and create financial freedom, but also have more time freedom. They do that by stopping pointless busy work that doesn’t provide value, they don’t enjoy it and it doesn’t lead to making money.
They also raise their prices. They’re only delivering what the client actually needs and wants, at a price that supports their goals AND meets the clients budget.
You deserve to be paid what you ask AND take the vacation!
There are endless ways to fill your time with busy work, the key is to figure out the things that ACTUALLY MATTER for you, your clients and your business.
What can you do to create MORE time? Be intentional about it and make sure its aligned.
2 – CONTENT
I know, we all love a good bit of content! But do you REALLY need SO MUCH content to post on multiple social media platforms multiple times a day? Marketing experts will say yes you do, but do you REALLY?
It can be EXHAUSTING!
Is it needed for your business? If you’re getting most of your business through referrals then more content isn’t going to help you much. Creating more and more is a way of hiding so you don’t have to do something else.
Its entirely possible that your ideal client isn’t on social media a lot and simply doesn’t consume a lot of content! I know, shocking thought, but WHAT IF??
A key part of your ideal client work has to be how they spend their time. Are they scrolling social media or are they getting info from other sources like books, news sites, conversations?
One of my all time favourite clients is a force to be reckoned with in terms of personality, vision and drive to succeed, but shes just not on social media that much.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t spend some time creating content because you DO need some, almost every person I know will search online for information about you, even if you’ve been recommended by a trusted person.
I’ll go look for your website so I can learn a bit more about you and figure out if its worth our time to have a chat. I’ll look for you on Facebook, maybe on LinkedIn.
But you don’t need a LOT of content to establish credibility, you don’t need pretty graphics or even to do videos.
When you’re genuine and authentic in your content, you can show your expertise and articulate it CLEARLY who you are, what you do and who you’re for, THAT is what people need to know. Repurpose that stuff at least once a week and you’re good to go.
On the flip side, are you CONSUMING a lot of content? It could be the proverbial doom scrolling as a way to distract yourself from reality, thats a thing.
You might be watching all the trainings and webinars and listening to podcasts on ALL the topics, you’re active in countless Facebook groups adding value, taking online courses, maybe you’re attending conferences, you’re networking like a pro and flitting around like a busy little bee.
I have absolutely nothing against all of that, but its also EXHAUSTING! No wonder you can get to the end of the day and feel like you’ve been super productive, but you’ve still got nothing solid to show for it. Thats a form of hiding in your business as well.
Theres a season for learning and a season for implementing. Don’t get stuck in the learning phase and never implementing.
I’ve been there, I felt like I didn’t learn anything new for YEARS through my 20s and 30s. Then when I flipped that switch on in my late 30s and early 40s it was like opening the floodgates, I was consuming content like my starving brain was now at a delicious buffet!
It took a while but I eventually learned to tone it down and started to implement, which is when I also started to get some traction in my business. Funny that!
When it comes to content, where are you hiding?
How much of your time and energy goes into creating AND consuming it?
How can you start a conversation around that content instead?
What could you be doing INSTEAD?
3 – YOUR SAFE NETWORK
Are you running with your safe crowd? Is this still where your ideal clients are?
This one can be really uncomfortable to realise that you need to get out and meet NEW people who are at a different level than you are, but its all part of growth.
Hanging out in Facebook groups where you know everyone is basically the online equivalent of Cheers, the 80s sitcom about the bar where everyone knows your name.
You know those business Facebook groups where you can promote yourself on certain days of the week? How often does anyone engage on your post? How often does that lead to a paying client?
My guess they’re like unicorns and its actually busy work under the guise of visibility and marketing, because everyone else is there for the same reason you are – they’re looking for clients. They’re not looking for whatever you offer. Get out of there!
If thats been your marketing strategy for a while, its time to look at it through a new lens and do a refresh of your ideal client profile.
Put yourself into the spaces where your ideal clients actually are, whether thats in person or online. Its uncomfortable but getting outside your safe network is essential to the sustainability of your business.
Another way this shows up is being the ‘wise advisor’, the SME or subject matter expert. Its so easy to give the information and support that others need, but its not always so easy to receive.
This is a common trait of the Nurturer money archetype, which kind of needs no further explanation because of the name, ‘nurturer’. You’re the support person for everyone else. Asking for help or support can be SUPER uncomfortable, its easier to hide behind the safety net of always being the one to give.
So thats the 3 key areas where you may be hiding in your business.
1. Are you filling your time with busy work to avoid something else?
2. Are you on the content hamster wheel, either creating it or consuming it?
3. Are you still playing in your safe network and need to branch out?
Or maybe its something else entirely? Thats just 3 things, I’m sure we could identify 25 things if we really wanted to, but that would fall into the area of content creation AND busy work!
I haven’t just picked these 3 things because they sound good, its because I’ve done all of these myself .
I’m an excellent creator of content (hello I’m doing a solo podcast here!), I can easily fill my time with fun things that don’t matter to anyone but me, and I’m VERY comfortable in my little safe network bubble, thank you very much!
We’re all a work in progress, and progress means action.
So heres an action step for you that might be a little uncomfortable… hit pause and look around for a moment or two, then answer this question…
Where are you filling your time or expending your energy as a way to avoid growth in your business?
It might not seem like much, but theres a long term cost for those little things that are holding you back from achieving your big goals and dreams. The time and financial freedom you want, the fun experiences you want, the team you want to surround yourself with.
Now if you’d like my help with THIS kind of visibility, not the marketing kind because there are countless people who can do that, but the kind of visibility that helps you build a sustainable, fun and profitable business without burning yourself out on busy work, I got you.
IGNITE is my 1-1 coaching program where we focus on the things that actually matter and create the growth you want.
Send me a DM on Facebook or Instagram, I’m @funbusinessfunmoney on both platforms, and lets have a chat about where you’re currently at vs where you want to be.
You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, or send an email to hello@deirdreamies.com – you’ll find the links to ALL of those in the description and in the show notes for this episode.
We’ll diagnose your disconnect and create the time and financial freedom you’re looking for. No more hiding in your business, ok??
Take care, have fun and I’ll catch you in the next episode!
Want to make a BIG SHIFT in your business?
IGNITE private coaching could be the answer you’re looking for! Click here to check out the details, or send me a message for a quick chat about which option is the best one for you right now.
