3 Ways to Focus You and Your Business This Fall | by Ruby McGuire

What does the phrase, "Back to school" mean for you? Because whether you have kids or not it can be a really great time to set lovely new plans to take you through the final quarter of the year.

Personally I love September. It's my birthday month so what's not to like?! But seriously, it feels the perfect time for a fresh start. You've got the Christmas season to look forward to and can refocus yourself and your business to finish the year on a high.

Being a Visibility Coach I like to help my clients reflect on what's working with their visibility and what changes they might want to put in place. But it's one thing being visible and another thing entirely to be profitable.

Running a business that isn't profitable is more like having a hobby. I don't know about you, but while I want to serve and make a difference I also want to run a profitable business. So I encourage my clients to think about how their actions in marketing their businesses are going to make them more profitable too.

When asked by people what the biggest things were that made a difference to my business, my answer is always the same:

1. Getting super duper clear on my ideal client and niche, and then owning it.
2. Building relationships, and asking people to take that next step with me.
3. Working on my mindset blocks.

So let me share how these three things translate into ways in which you can be both more visible and profitable!

1. Get super duper clear on your ideal client and niche, then own it

There is a lot of fear around niching. Fear that it will stop you attracting the people, fear that you'll be sending people away. The reality is very different. When you niche you get more ideal clients. You get people who love what you do, and by owning it you become the expert in your field. This means you're able to help even more people, both through paid work and through the valuable content that you share.

If you're not quite there with deciding on a niche yet then really spend time figuring out who you love to work with - the types of people and type of work. In the early days this can be challenging so just test it out, make a note of what does/doesn't work for you and what you love. Over time you'll get clearer.

Then, once you've figured out your niche you need to own it. It's about drawing a line in the sand and declaring that's your area. Then everything that you do from that point on is related to your niche. So, if you're a career coach, everything you talk about should relate back to careers somehow. This way people start to identify you with your niche, and understand what you do.

Questions to Ponder: How clear are you on who your ideal clients are? Where are you still a little fuzzy? How could you increasingly target your communications to your ideal clients?

2. Building relationships, and helping people to take the 'next step'

Always be thinking about how you can build relationships. This is something I do every single day, without fail. I'm always talking with someone, in 'getting to know you' type chats or discovery sessions. I didn't get the name "Queen of Connection" for nothing!

As you start to build relationships you can then start to share more about what you do and how you can help them take the next step. And mastering sales conversations is going to be part of that process.

Back to next steps. If you're out there sharing your message but not telling people what you need them to do next, then it's likely they'll do nothing. You'll be that inspirational coach that shares great messages, but people won't take the next step to work with, and pay you for what you do.

Help people take the next step:

• On social media, the next step (or call to action) might be to invite people into an online group, to sign up to your newsletter or even just to like, comment or share your post.
• At a networking meeting? You might invite people onto a discovery call with you.
• On a discovery call with a potential client? The next step might be to share how you can help them.

Questions to Ponder: What else could you be doing to build relationships? Where specifically could you be asking people to take the next step with you?

3. Work on your mindset blocks

As coaches we help others work on mindset blocks, but how often do you work on your own? This is a HUGE part of running and growing your own business.

Let me share a few things I've done over the years to release blocks around money, confidence, imposter syndrome, perfectionism (and I still have loads to work on!) Here are just some of the approaches I have used - tapping, meditation, journalling, coaching, mentoring, self-care, affirmations and afformations (in case you were wondering, an afformation is where you take an affirmation and turn it into a positive question!)

Question to Ponder: What mindset blocks do you need to work on? What is getting in the way of you enjoying your business? What stops you taking the next step in your business?

So here's a quick recap to help you start planning out your visibility.

1. Get super duper clear on your ideal client and niche, and own it as your area of expertise.
2. Build relationships and ask people to take that next step with you.
3. Work on your mindset blocks!

And a bonus tip – showing up consistently is also a huge part of it.

Your next step? Now that you have a few strategies, take yourself away from your business - and think about creating a visibility plan that will bring more profitability your way too.

Ready to Unleash Your Visibility Ninja – Get Connected, Visible & Profitable? Join me for a Rock Your Biz virtual coffee & chat. It's time that you and your fabulous business were seen, both on and offline.

PS. If you want to check how well you're doing with your visibility, subscribe to grab your copy of Ruby's free Visibility Quiz here.

If you liked this article on refocusing this fall, you may also like:

• 7 Easy Ways to Energise and Refocus at Work - in 30 Minutes or Less!
• Dive Back Into Work and School With These 5 Key Goal-Setting Elements! | By Jennifer Britton
• 10 Key Qualities You Need to BE to HAVE a 6 Figure (Coaching) Business

Contributing Author:

Ruby McGuire is a Business & Mindset Queen. She's an Accredited Master Coach & Master Mentor with the IAPC&M, Trainer, Inspirational Speaker and Author of multiple books. She loves helping her clients step up and become leaders (aka Queens) of their businesses. She helps her clients develop their leadership and business skills, create a success mindset and attract dreamy clients. She is a Brit on a mission to live a simpler life without marketing on social media so that she can spend more time in her beautiful Scottish surroundings. You can find her at her pretty online home, over on her podcast show, Rock Your Fabulous Biz, and here where she shares her Mini Guide to Marketing Without Social Media. When she’s not working you’ll find her surrounded by books, making hand-made cards, and enjoying life with her hubby, little dog and chickens (usually with a Whittard Vanilla cappuccino in her hand)!

Learn more about Ruby & see all their articles here >>