The Secret to Staying Consistent

We all want to stay consistent, right? That’s our intention, but life, busyness, being tired, kids–they all throw us off course. So what is the secret to staying consistent? That’s what I want to share with all of you. Summer is just about here, so I thought this was the perfect time to touch on this subject. I want all of you to have fun summer times with your family, but I also don’t want your business to completely get on the back burner. So, let’s talk about the secret to staying consistent.

 

 

Isn’t it so fun to daydream about your reel going viral on Instagram? Or to all of a sudden have a million followers overnight? That would be amazing. While that has happened for some people, that has not happened for me. However, I have found lots of success through creating content my people like–and following a very specific content strategy–and it has all happened because of the magic consistency principle I follow.

So, if you’re looking for the secret to going viral overnight, I’m not your expert on that. However, I can give you real live principles that will help you build a long-lasting business and a strong community of followers who look to you for daily content. Personally, I have found that the real magic doesn’t come from creating the “golden reel” but it comes from staying consistent with the content you do make. 

 

 

The Magic Penny

There’s a book called, “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy that teaches this consistency principle really well. I have read this book over and over again because I feel like no matter where you are at in your business, this book really brings to light how powerful consistency is and what you can do to be more consistent.

At the beginning of the book, Hardy shares the analogy of the magic penny. He asks if you had the choice, would you rather have 3 million dollars of cash right now or get a single penny that doubles in value every day for 31 days. 

If you’ve heard this analogy before, you know that choosing the penny is obviously the more valuable choice. But the reason why it’s so hard to choose the penny is that on day 5 you only have 16 cents when you could’ve had 3 million dollars. On day 10, you only have 5 dollars, and on day 20 you have $5,243, which is still far less than $3 million. However, once you hit day 31, your compounding penny gives you a total of a whopping $10,737,418.24. This ends up being over three times the amount of $3 million you could have chosen at the very beginning. See the magic of the compounding penny?

There is so much more goodness in this book, so if you’re looking for a good read this one should be added to your booklist! I love it because it reinforces this thought that if we want to make traction and want our business to grow we have to be consistent. And I think me consistently showing up has been the magic of my business.

 

 

7 Steps to Staying Consistent with your Biz (Even When it’s Hard)

Let’s say you’re committed to showing up consistently for your audience. Maybe you’ve got a really good routine down, but then summer comes. Or something else pops up unexpectedly and you’re not sure how to keep showing up consistently. That’s why I put together these 7 steps to staying consistent. I hope these will help you stay consistent in your business no matter what. 

 

Consistency Step #1: Be realistic about how much time you can actually give to your business.

This is a really important first step when you are trying to make your goals. This is because nothing stops a goal from getting met faster than over committing or promising yourself you’re going to do stuff that you just really can’t do. 

So, look at your life right now and see what requires your attention. Maybe you have a newborn baby, younger kids at home, or other things that need more of you right now. Don’t feel pressured to grow your business so quickly. There will be time for it, so do what feels best for you and the phase of life you’re in right now. 

 

Consistency Step #2: Start small and then grow into more as you set up systems and tools to help you be consistent.

Start with one big goal at a time. For example, maybe you have a goal to start a podcast. Great! I’d love for you to start a podcast. But, don’t try to start a podcast at the same time you are trying to start a YouTube channel. 

At the start of this year, I decided to really focus on my podcast. I committed to releasing two episodes each week and once I felt like I was in a good rhythm with it and was seeing growth and success come from it, I added my YouTube channel into my content strategy. I knew I couldn’t start both at the same time, so I did what worked for me. 

So, I recommend focusing on one goal at a time, getting really consistent with it, and then moving on to other goals once you feel like you’ve got a handle on the first one(s). 

 

Consistency Step #3: Know your non-negotiables.

There are things in your business that should be non-negotiable. For me, it’s my podcast. I have a podcast that goes out on Tuesdays and that is non-negotiable for me. So, what are your non-negotiables?

Maybe it’s showing up in your stories twice a week, doing a live Q&A once a week, or sending out a weekly email. Whatever it is, you get to make the decision. That’s the best part! You get to decide the best thing for you and stay committed to that no matter what–come hell or high water your non-negotiable is going to happen.

 

 

Consistency Step #4: Create a plan.

This is where you are going to have a content strategy. If you want the secret to creating a content strategy that will save you SO much time and brainpower, take my Core Content Code course. You can either purchase the course, or you can become a Money Maker and get access to this course along with all of my other ones (this would be the best value for you!). 

The best thing you could do for yourself is create an intentional content strategy where you are planning out your content weeks in advance. We all know what it’s like to randomly post something just because we feel like we should in order to meet a deadline. I don’t want you to run into that issue ever again. My Core Content Code will set you up for success and take all your worry away that comes with content strategy!

I suggest taking an hour to plan out your next month. This could be a game-changer for you. You could suddenly have a plan that you feel confident in. You will be able to look at it and see that it’s actually helping you reach your goals. 

 

Consistency Step #5: Batch your content.

Now that you’ve done steps 1-4, it’s time to get ahead. So, stop doing the things that are wasting time (a.k.a scrolling on Instagram) and use that time to get ahead. Doing this is how you become a responsible business owner. Think about the type of content you want to post about in the next month and start making it now. 

If you’re not sure what you want to post about, look at what posts have been more successful. Which topics are your people commenting on the most? Use your audience to help gauge what they are interested in and post more about that topic.

 

Consistency Step #6: You have to hold yourself accountable.

No one is going to make you do this. You need to decide if you can do this and if this is something you really want. Is it important enough to you that you will stay up late and work on it the night before so it can go live the next day?

If you join Money Makers, I can definitely help hold you accountable by helping you reach your goals and checking in every week to see how it’s going. But at the end of the day, this comes down to you. If you believe in yourself and your business enough, do it. 

 

Consistency Step #7: Get help.

Remember that you can hire things out. You can get a virtual assistant to help keep you organized. If you’re in a place where you’re ready for a marketing agency, you can hire me and my team. We help you with podcast editing and production, blogging, Pinterest, social media strategy, email marketing, and more.

At some point, you are going to need help. You can’t do this all by yourself. My business got to that point. And it’s a good place to be because you don’t have to be an expert at everything! 

 

 

The Secret to Staying Consistent

The hardest part about being consistent is you don’t see the results right away. If we look back to the magic penny analogy, on day two you only have two cents. That’s hard to be putting in so much effort and not see immediate results. Because results are how we measure whether or not our strategies are working and if it’s worth putting in all the work.

But, we need to have some faith in ourselves and faith in the process. Running a business is like running a marathon, not a sprint. I want you to fundamentally believe that you are in it for the long haul. Your business is going to make it. 

Someone asked me recently what is one thing I wish I’d known when I first started out in my business and I said I wish I would’ve known how big my business would be today. I had no idea. So, thinking back to the Michelle that was selling hats on Etsy, I wish I could say to her, “Keep going. Stay consistent, pivot when you need to, and then get help when you’re ready because your business is going to work out.”

So, I’ll say it to all of you instead. Your business is going to work out. Believe in it enough to show up consistently. Treat your business like you’re serious about how it’s going to change everything around you. That is the secret to staying consistent!

If you enjoyed this post, you can follow me on Instagram @iammichellegifford where I share tons more tips and tricks like these to help you grow a long-lasting business.