One of the biggest fallacies I see in the world of coaches, and other solopreneurs, is over-learning rather than executing. Many solopreneurs believe that they don't have enough skills and need to learn more. While there is a compelling case for ongoing learning, in the world of the solopreneur, execution and getting into action is key. We may never know enough by learning alone. It's through the actions we take that we either have our learning reinforced or find out exactly what we need to learn.
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In a solopreneurial business, lack of execution may lead to business failure. The quest for learning may appear that we are doing when we are simply learning.

Today's post gets you to consider these questions:

1. What have you learned this year?
2. What have you done with the action plans you created out of those learning processes?
3. What's still left on your action plan list to execute?
4. What skills does the business need that could be outsourced or delegated to a new staff member? (think graphic design, financial)
5. Where is your learning ENOUGH?
6. Where do you need more?
7. What ACTION is needed to move the business forward?

​Enjoy your reflection and ACTION!
Jennifer

Our next Solopreneur Myth is “Build it, they will come”. For the last few months, I focused on marketing strategies, bringing to life the nine different vehicles I explore with you in Section 3 of Coaching Business Builder.
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With “build it, they will come” we can fall into the trap of thinking that once something exists it will be in high demand. In fact, the design and creation parts are usually only one part of the process. Much of the heavy lifting then begins with marketing and sales, and also program or product delivery!

Proactive marketing at all stages of your business, along with regular and consistent actions, can help ensure that you do build a thriving set of fans for your next offering.

Some key things to be doing to ensure that when you build, they will come:

• Ensure you are focusing on the things that people want.

• Ensure that you are focusing on the things that they value.
• Ensure that they are in the right format they want.
• Lean into your strengths and experience.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate – right to the end!
• Solicit feedback about your products and services.
• Get your customers/clients to share their story about what they like about your work and products.
• Demonstrate what you offer – show the world. This might be via a video, or at a speaking engagement. By hosting an evening demonstration or a webinar.

​What are the things you want to focus on?

Enjoy your conversations,
Jennifer

I opened my doors here at Potentials Realized on April 7, 2004. Having celebrated 15 years in business earlier this year, I continue to be thankful that the fruits of my labor continue to pay off.

While it is possible to build, and grow things quickly, building a sustainable business that will weather economic ups and downs (think 2008 economics, current flux, and…)  usually needs more than the initial meteoric rise.

This is where things like VISION, Systems and Business Foundations come in.
If you have a copy of the Coaching Business Builder OR PlanDoTrack, check out the different activities and reflections in Section #1.

It’s our work around creating clarity and alignment around our values and behaviors, clarifying our vision, and creating exceptional offerings which create a sustainable business.
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Questions to consider:

• What values is your business grounded in?
• How are your behaviors translated into action and behaviors?
• How clear is your vision?

Creating a sustainable business is also about you as the business owner. In the medium term, our own leadership and endurance may be what helps the business move to another inflection point.

Questions for you to consider:

• What’s going to help you be at your best?
• Grow or refine your skills?
• Develop the endurance needed to run a business?
• What fuels you?
• When do you work best?
• When do you need to take a break and/o renew?
• What else is important for you in the short term? Medium term? Long term?

Sustainable business is also about doing things for the long haul. What is the work you really love to do? How does it capitalize on your strengths? What taps into what you uniquely do well?

I hope that you will enjoy this week’s questions and exploration,
Jennifer

For the last few months I’ve been focusing on a series around marketing. If you didn’t catch the July and August 2019 posts, be sure to check them out here.

For the next couple of months, I am going to be rolling out a new series on Solopreneur Myths. You’ll be able to view them each Monday. They will focus on some of the more common things we hear in the landscape of building a coaching or virtual business at the moment. I’m framing them as myths given that they don’t necessarily hold true. Having worked with thousands of professionals in the last 15 years via my own business and also as a former business studies faculty member I am looking forward to debunking the myths and commonly voiced messages for solopreneurs.

We’re starting with the myth of Once is Enough. This holds true on so many different levels for us - from communicating something once, to sharing a link to a blog post only on one channel once, to running a program only once.

Only doing something once may lead to us short-changing ourselves!
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Part of the power of social media, and part of cutting through the noise, requires that we share our content more than once.  Take a look back at what you have created in the last few months and consider how you can share it more OR repurpose it. Sharing it might mean that you look to post it on other channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram). Repurposing may mean retooling content in a new way – so taking blog content and making it into a video (Think Lumen5) OR bundling blog posts to create a new article or white paper series.

If you are a program designer, you will know how important it is to consider recouping the design investment in running a program more than once. Many of my own public offerings have become quarterly or monthly favorites. Some have been around for a few years. One of my longest standing programs is the Group Coaching Essentials program which I’ve been offering on almost a monthly basis since it’s launch back in January of 2006. Consistency is key in making inroads into today’s VUCA worlds, and Word of Mouth and referrals can be a powerful business booster.

Where is it going to be useful to explore the myth of Once is Enough in your business?

Best wishes,
​Jennifer

This week marks what is often known as the Second New Year. It’s back to work and back to school for many of us.
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With a new year mindset, it’s a great time to pause and take stock of where you are at, what’s working, and what’s not.

Here are a few ideas of things you might want to do this week (or today if you are enjoying the holiday):
1. Set or review your goals for the next 4 months to the end of the year.

2. Make your goals visible – where can you view or review these?

3. Spend a few minutes going through a guided session -you can use the quarterly prompts I included in the Q1 reflection session. Grab a pen and your journal and earmark 30 minutes to go thorough this 30 minute quarterly planning session.

4. If you do consider September to be the start of your new year, check out the post on Creating an Annual To Do List .

5. Review your schedule for the fall. Have you included:

• Time to focus on the high impact, high importance projects?
• Time for renewal?
• Time for action/execution?
• Time for learning?
• Time for relationships?
• Time to TRACK your results? Consider joining me for the Month End Reflection Sessions.

6. Consider what habits are going to help you do the things you want. Habits allow us to do things consistently and efficiently, often without as much thought.

7. Consider what you want to say YES to this fall AND consider what you want to let go of and NOT do.  
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What are your goals this fall? What do you want to focus on?

Enjoy your first Monday of September AND some Labor Day magic!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

​Jennifer Britton, PCC, CPCC
Author multiple books including the Coaching Business Builder Workbook and Planner (2018), Effective Group Coaching (2010)
Potentials Realized
Phone: 416-996-8326
Check out the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series of daily prompts for your work and business over on  Instagram @CoachingBizBuilder.

As we step into September, it's time to share this month's 1BizStep a Day, a monthly series I've been hosting here at the Coaching Business Builder blog, and our Conversation Sparker Zone. The 1BizStepADay series includes a daily prompt to get you taking action on a different aspect of your business. Each month has a different theme. We've explored systems check (August), developing your signature program (June), relationships, and this month we turn our attention to major projects. Is there a major project you want to complete by the end of the year? This may be the focus you want to take as you follow-along with this month's daily prompts.

Part of the Coaching Business Builder and Plan Do Track workbook and planners include a 31 Day Challenge Template (check out the Content Creation Tools in the planner section towards the end of the books). You might want to use the Monthly Daily Trackers to capture your notes around the steps you undertake each day this month around your major project OR use the 31 Day Challenge template to capture your notes.

Tracking your results on a regular basis is valuable and can serve as a resource or process roadmap.
It can also help you isolate what exactly you did in sequence
It can also help capture lessons learned for next time.

Enjoy this month's Major Projects 1BizStepADay. You can download it here.

A reminder that the tagline for Coaching Business Builder and PlanDoTrack planners is:
Daily Steps + Consistent Action = Momentum

What are the daily steps you want to earmark time for this month? When are you going to get it done(first thing in the morning? Lunchtime? In the evening? (Think about what it might be like to get this crossed off your list every morning).

Enjoy your daily focus!

Best wishes,
Jennifer

Jennifer Britton - Potentials Realized
Author of PlanDoTrack (2019),  Coaching Business Builder (2018), Effective Virtual Conversations (2017) and From One to Many: Best Practices for Team and Group Coaching (2013). Pick up a copy of any of her books at Amazon
Book Jennifer for a coaching session to explore productivity, teamwork and business issues.
Contact her by phone at (416)996-8326
Join Jennifer for one of her ICF CCE approved coach training programs starting in September - Group Coaching Essentials (starts 9/6), Advanced Group and Team Coaching Practicum (starts 9/6) and the Virtual Facilitation Essentials (starts 9/16)
Follow the #90DaysPlanDoTrack series on Instagram