Business Growth Archives - Page 8 of 13

Winter came and now it won’t leave

March 15, 2022 by Jason Van Orden

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.

Why over-eager helpers lose sales

March 11, 2022March 8, 2022 by Jason Van Orden

When it comes to earning the trust of your intended clients (so you can inspire them to buy), we all know it’s important not to be an over-eager seller.

But did you know being an over-eager helper can also cost you sales?

So how do you strike the right balance between helping and selling to maximize sales?

Recently, my ten-year-old daughter, CeCe, shared her frustration about something going on between a group of friends at school. Right away, I saw a potential solution.

“You know what you could try…”

The immediate blank look on her face told me I’d jumped in too soon to offer advice. What she wanted was for me first to show understanding.

We often make the same classic mistake when earning the trust of potential clients in hopes of inspiring them to do business with us.

Broadly speaking, we can divide the process of earning a prospect’s trust into two parts.

3 Reasons Your Customer Base is Not Growing

March 11, 2022March 1, 2022 by Jason Van Orden

Want to scale your business beyond the limitations of offering one-to-one services?

Create an online course or group program, right?

Well, yes. But a scalable offer alone won’t get you to your desired level of income, impact, and freedom.

Your entire business model also needs to evolve. That’s why I always work with my clients on three areas of their business.

Positioning: how you are perceived in the mind of the audience you serve.
Platform: the marketing messaging and channels you use to reach that market and attract new customers.
Products: how you deliver your value proposition to the market.

All three need to be scalable. Today, I want to talk about your platform.

I see coaches and consultants make three common and costly main mistakes when scaling their platform to grow their audience and customer base.

4 things for consistent business growth

March 11, 2022February 22, 2022 by Jason Van Orden

Have you ever participated in a mastermind or coaching session where you got excited by the suggestions and advice, only to realize later you didn’t know where to begin to implement?

Hearing the divergent thinking of a group can break open a stagnant business, help us rethink our assumptions about what is possible, and offer a new perspective when we’ve been banging against a locked door.

But then those ideas require action.

When I created the Catalyst Mastermind, it was essential to me that it would be a whole-package kind of experience. It’s not just talking to smart people and hearing their ideas.

A mastermind also needs to give you tools (worksheets, checklists, concise and timely training, etc.) to help you implement the ideas.

It needs to give you support between the group calls so that you don’t get derailed the moment a question arises.

It needs to supply you with a shot of motivation and focus when you’re struggling to find them.

It needs to connect you with people who can help you.

That’s why my Catalyst Mastermind gives you:

How to find support to realize your vision

March 11, 2022February 16, 2022 by Jason Van Orden

I struggle with the word “accountability.”

It sets up this external pressure that sometimes works but creates more anxiety for some. Yes, I said it.

Accountability is not the end all be all of accomplishing your goals. External motivation has its limitations.

And yet, there is an alchemy that happens when we have involved others in our goals, and it propels us to reach them in ways we would never have managed on our own?

Why does the gym buddy make me show up at the gym? Or why does the book club make me get through the book that took some patience but was SO worth it?

Why does co-working help me write the book that gets relegated to “later” when I’m on my own? Why do I sometimes meet deadlines when someone expects my result, but not when I have a self-directed deadline?

On my best days, it is not my people-pleasing character trait (I’m working on it) that makes me show up for someone else. It’s the connection, relationship, commitment, and camaraderie. And I’ve found that I REALLY need it.