4 Ways to Survive a Messy Transition in Your Business

“I feel like I’m swimming in uncertainty. I’m not sure of anything I’m doing right now. I need help finding motivation and figuring out what I should be doing next.”

I was facilitating a mastermind recently when the person in the hot seat shared that they had been feeling stuck.

We all have those moments where the path ahead for our business feels unclear. Sometimes these periods are brief and sometimes they last months or longer. The hot seat question got me thinking about a messy transition I went through several years ago.

When I stepped away from my last business, I felt untethered. I didn’t know who I would be without the sense of identity and purpose my business had provided me.

“Who am I if I’m not Jason Van Orden of Internet Business Mastery?!”

 

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How can you know whether your online course or group program has the potential to make money? Let’s identify why they aren’t ready for prime time.

2 essentials for a profitable course or program

How can you know whether your online course or group program has the potential to make money? After all, nobody wants to make a course that launches to the sounds of crickets.

Let’s look at the following three descriptions of courses or programs to see if we can identify why they aren’t ready for prime time.

  1. An online course that helps new managers be better leaders with my S.E.R.V.E. method.
  2. A course teaching yoga online to busy professionals
  3. A group coaching program about how to manage adult ADHD

At first glance, these might seem like good ideas. However, something is missing.

There are two essentials I look for any time I hear an online course or group program pitch to determine whether or not it’s a viable idea.

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Can you identify the one word that illuminates why your program is not selling as well as it should? This word may be costing you sales right now.

This one word will cost you sales

“How can I get more people to sign up for my group coaching program?”

Can you identify the one word in the common question above that illuminates why the program is not selling as well as it should?

It’s an insidious word that may be costing you sales right now.

The answer is embedded in the follow-up question I frequently ask when faced with the challenge of attracting more students to my clients’ group programs.

“Who is this program for?”

If the answer contains the word “people,” I immediately know we have a problem. “People” is far too broad as an intended audience for any offer.

“This group program is for people who…”

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Your unique genius and the far reaches of the universe

On December 25, 2021, one of the most ambitious human pursuits in modern history reached a significant milestone.

Spanning 30 years.
Costing 10 billion dollars.
Involving 1200 scientists, engineers, and technicians from 14 countries.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched from French Guiana, beginning a journey to a point one million miles from earth.

(Set your inbox to display images if you can’t see the photo below. Trust me, it’s worth the impressive sight.)

With 100 times the power of the Hubble Telescope, it set out on a mission to look farther into space than we’d ever seen, peering into the origins of our universe.

Tens of thousands watched nervously over the following weeks, praying none of the 344 potential points of failure would occur, any of which would render the telescope useless with no possibility of repair.

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Winter came and now it won't leave

Winter came and now it won’t leave

According to a study at UC Berkeley, 72% of entrepreneurs in their sample group self-reported mental health concerns.

Other studies have also concluded that Entrepreneurs experience mental health challenges at a higher rate than the general population. It requires awareness and being proactive.

The first quarter of every year, I brace for a period of lower motivation, increased anxiety, and even a bit of depression. This common phenomenon is called Seasonal Affective Disorder, and it affects many.

In this article, I want to speak to those acquainted with this kind of mental health challenge and offer some ideas about how to mitigate the effects and survive the taxing final weeks of winter (and any other period where your mental health takes a dip).

Here are a few things that have helped me.

Engage Your Curiosity and Awe

I have a daily nighttime ritual of sitting in my back garden (in front of an infrared heater), looking up at the stars, and watching YouTube videos about space, physics, and other ideas I find mind-expanding. I also picked up the guitar again to learn some jazz standards and hone my improv skills. This has been vital to my well-being.

Find something that will stimulate your brain and soul. Make time for it.

 

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