Businesses across the country have been closing due to the pandemic, but there is a small percentage that have grown!
In this series we take you behind the scenes in those businesses to empower you to apply the same strategies to your business, whether you’re in growth mode, or recovering!
We’re asking three questions to bring out a few different kinds of answers from our interviewees:
What do you do?
What contributed to your growth?
What are you doing to ensure you continue growing?
This Week’s Interview Guest:
Brenda Bailey, the Income Ceiling Shatterer of Shatter Your Income Ceiling
Brenda’s business has doubled in size this year, and Stephanie had the opportunity to go behind the scenes and discuss the secrets to Brenda’s success for this interview.
If you prefer to watch or listen, check out the youtube interview here.
Behind the Scenes
Question 1: What do you do?
Brenda:
I started as an entrepreneur 28 years ago and created a 7 figure business through that time. So what I do now is help others create their own success. We work on stopping cycles of self-sabotage and working through different fears so that people can achieve their full potential and shatter the “ceiling” of their income. This year has been really great for the company because we’ve been in a position to help more people than ever, because more people have needed help than ever.
Question 2:
What contributed to your growth?
Brenda:
In general, I pushed into the situation that was coming at us and worked to adapt to it.
I’ve been in business for 28 years, and I know two things about this recession: it wasn’t the first, and it won’t be our last. But the people who lean into and adapt to the situations are the ones who are going to make it out in the best position. There are actually studies showing that more millionaires are made during recessions than any other times. So everyone has the opportunity to grow and recover during and after recessions. And the thing that makes entrepreneurs unique in these situations is our ability to hope, and to see an opportunity and find a way to take advantage of it.
But back on topic…
There are a few specific things I did that contributed to my growth.
Coaching
Coming into 2020, I had already hired two coaches: one for marketing and one for strategy. I had already planned to approach 2020 differently than previous years. So I already knew that 2020 would require a lot of work and change, which meant that my mindset was in the position to adapt to the changes that were coming.
Marketing: Virtual Networking
Even before 2020 I had a marketing plan, and marketing was part of what helped my company to grow so much during the year. We upped the ante on our marketing in general, but virtual networking was the heaviest part of what I did.
So many networking groups went virtual overnight, but the low attendance of so many of them just shocks me. A lot of people are missing the boat by not doing virtual networking meetings, because it is so easy and offers so many connections! Because you no longer have to drive across town or get fully decked out for a networking meeting; you just have to hop on a zoom link and look nice from the waist up.
Virtual networking has helped me incredibly, because it has expanded my reach. The ability to connect to people across the world has expanded my client base and gave me the opportunity to work with people from all over the world.
Another beautiful thing was that people were all at home, so everyone was eager and hungry to connect to others. It allowed me to reach out and reconnect with people and potential clients I hadn’t talked to in a while because I’d been so busy. Virtual networking was a big part of why we grew!
Leaning In
I’ve already mentioned this, but I ended up sort of leaning into the need that arose.
What sets me apart from other mindset coaches is that I work beyond mindsets, not strictly within them. That is a part of my marketing, so the people who come to me typically know that they’re getting in their own way. They come to me because they want help getting out of their own way.
When we stepped into 2020, I had planned to take some time off and take a step back. But as soon as the pandemic hit, people needed help moving past mindset blocks. I knew that I could help them, so I put my own time off to the side and stepped in to fulfill that need.
Question 3:
What are you doing to ensure you continue growing?
Brenda:
One thing I’m continuing on and carrying over from this year to next is working with coaches, mentors, and my team. That’s going to be imperative for me, because I need to make sure that I have a support system in place as I grow.
I used to hear people say that they worked with coaches and I would scoff and think “That’s a bunch of BS, they just want me to hire them.” But I have realized over time that it is incredibly valuable to have someone who can push me out of my comfort zone, hold me in place, and help me achieve my goals.
Having these support systems in place is going to be huge for me, because it’s going to help me continue to move forward. They’re helping me look at the programs, launches, and marketing plan we’ve got in place for next year so that we can continue to do what we’ve done this year already. Because the kinds of things we’ve done this year have worked, so we are looking for new ways to implement them in the coming year.
So for business owners who are looking to grow next year, I would say to get a coach and a mentor to help pull you out of your comfort zone and work past your fears.
Stephanie:
Common Denominators Thus Far:
So far in this series, we’ve interviewed a number of business owners. Aside from the activities mentioned in our last article sum-up, having a coach and finding ways to adapt to the changing climate has been consistent along all the interviewed individuals.
The year is wrapping up, but I also want to encourage you to not give up!
All of the individuals who have grown their businesses this year have persevered through different challenges, different aspects of the pandemic, and you can continue on too! Don’t give up, keep moving forward because you have the capability to double your business!
If you know of someone you think should be interviewed for this series, drop me an email with their contact information and I’ll get in contact with them!
And if you're looking for a place to get strategies and create connections to help propel you into the new year, check out the Grow Retreat that we're hosting in January. It's 2 days of incredible content, networking, and energy that you won't want to miss.