What You’re Missing for Your Business

Are you feeling burnt out in your business? Are you feeling exhausted from showing up on Instagram day in and day out in order to make money? Are you wanting to make a business shift, but not sure how to do it? Biz sister, I’m here for you! I will help you find out what you’re missing for your business and what to do about it. 

 

 

This is my first podcast episode (and associated blog post) after a month break. Usually I’m here every week sharing my thoughts on business, but I took a moment to regroup. If you haven’t noticed already, I changed my podcast to “Built to Last Business with Michelle Gifford.” I made a business shift and I am so excited about it! 

Why did I take this shift, you ask? For two reasons. 

 

2 Reasons Why I Made a Business Shift 

#1: I was feeling burnt out. 

In the middle of March I released my Built to Last Business Bundle. A few days into the launch, I was completely burnt out. I was sitting at my computer trying to write a sales email and I could not. I was under a lot of stress finishing everything for my bundle launch and the stress paralyzed me. I couldn’t keep going, even if I wanted to. 

I took a step back and looked at my life, my business, my kids, and decided I needed to take a break. And I did! I took time away for myself and I got really clear on what I am doing and why I am doing it. 

 

#2: I noticed some damaging things happening in the business world. 

Right now, we are hearing a lot about how you need to hustle in order to have a successful business. People are saying you need to spend all your time on all the social media platforms or else you’re not hustling enough to have a successful business. 

Here’s the thing. I don’t like hustling just to hustle. The bad part about this hustling idea is that it values any kind of movement over sitting still. But sometimes we need to sit still! We need to have those quiet moments, so we can refocus on our goals and where we stand with them. 

While I was on my break I went for an early morning run on the beach. In my still moment, guess what happened? I felt God speak to my heart and I felt the answer that I needed. I need to be more clear on who I want to be for all of you and how I want to serve you. Hence, the new podcast name and my business shift. 

I got clarity in my stillness. When you move too quickly, you may lose your clarity, and you may lose yourself. Don’t get me wrong, you need to hustle too. There just needs to be a healthy balance of hustling and sitting still. The stillness helps you remember your why and the hustle helps you get. it. done. 

 

 

Potemkin Village

Have you heard about the story of Potemkin Village? Gregory Potemkin is a Russian from the 1700s. Potemkin would try to impress Queen Katherine when she’d come in from the river front by putting up a facade for his village. Potemkin would hoist up these incredibly large cutouts of buildings, making it seem real, but it wasn’t. The fake buildings showcased the village as beautiful and flourishing, fooling Queen Katherine. The key here is the village only appeared prosperous, but in reality it was doing very poorly. 

This has a valuable lesson whether or not it is a true story. How many times do we put up a facade on social media when in reality we feel like we or our business is falling apart? 

I have potential clients tell me over and over again, “Michelle, I am exhausted. I have to show up on Instagram every day or else I don’t make money.” They are stuck in having to create this facade for their followers or else their business crumbles. I don’t want that for you. 

Did you know?

• Tweets stay relevant for only 18-20 minutes. 
• Facebook posts stay relevant for 5 hours. 
• Instagram posts stay relevant for 21 hours. 
• LinkedIn posts stay relevant for 24 hours. 

When I say “stay relevant” I mean, that’s how long they are seen by the majority of people. After that time frame, they are lost and hardly seen. Maybe spending all this time on short-term content is not where your focus should be. I want you to have content that lasts longer than 24 hours. I want you to have a business built to last. 

 

3 Frameworks You Need for Your Built to Last Business

I want you to find what you’re missing for your built to last business. So many people are telling you your business needs to be this or that, but we can’t do it all, and we shouldn’t have to. I want you to be mature enough to listen to people’s advice and then decide if it is right for you and your business. 

No one can possibly know you and your circumstances no matter how much of an expert they are. You know, better than anyone, where your focus needs to be for your business. You will have that needed maturity and clarity to create your built to last business when you use my three frameworks.

 

 

#1: Confidence in your role as messenger and clarity in your message.

I recently did a poll on Instagram where I asked you what mental thoughts are holding you back in your business. Some answers included:

• “I’m so overwhelmed I’ve stopped making progress.”
• “I’m too lazy to do well.”
• “They can’t relate to me.”
• “No one wants to learn about my boring mom life.”
• “Will anyone even like my products?”

This is heavy. We will always have doubt about who we are and the difference we can make in the world, but it’s only damaging if we start to lead our lives by our doubt rather than our faith and confidence that we can do this. And we can! 

You can be a mom and run a business. You can find your people to serve and add value in their lives through your products and services. You can have a long-lasting business. 

That’s why having confidence in your role as messenger and clarity in your message is number one. You must have the confidence before and all throughout your hard work in running a built to last business. 

 

#2: A foundation for your built to last business.

You must have a foundation for your built to last business. Once you have that foundation, you will know the why behind every post you make. Every piece of content you create will have purpose. You will know where you’re going and know how to get there (most of the time).

I recently did an iceberg analogy to help explain the foundation you need for your business. There’s several layers to the iceberg, creating a strong foundation for your business. The foundation is what creates a strong iceberg in the ocean, standing firm when waves crash against it. Without the foundation, your business would be a lifeless ice cube getting tossed to and fro by the waves and wind of other opinions. 

In other words, having a foundation is key to your built to last business. 

 

#3: Content strategy that makes sense for you and your business. 

Your content strategy is what helps you communicate to your audience because it creates a place for a customer journey and experience with you. This journey needs to take place in a platform you own, so it could be through an email list or a blog site. 

Again, there’s so many voices out there telling you your business should be doing this or that, but YOU are the one that knows best what makes sense for you and your business. I can give you the strategy, but I want you to decide if it’ll work for you or not. 

 

 

 

4 Benefits from Having a Built to Last Business 

Benefit #1: A business that is sustainable to manage.

Benefit #2: Clear message on a platform you own. 

Benefit #3: Purpose to every post you make.

Benefit #4: Being established as the expert for your core piece of content you create regularly, at least once a week that your audience can rely on. 

Having a built to last business does not mean you have things figured out from the beginning and that you never pivot or shift to make it better. In fact, it means quite the opposite. 

In the last four years, my business has changed A LOT. I’ve gotten more clear on my messaging and on the transformation I want to give you. We need to look at our business journey with what I like to call switchbacks. 

Imagine you are at the bottom of a big mountain when you start your business journey. If your end goal is to make 1 million dollars a year, that will seem too far-fetched. Just like when you’re at the bottom of a big mountain, thinking about hiking to the very top seems almost impossible.  

God didn’t set you at the bottom of the mountain to fail. He gave you switchbacks. It’s going to be steep enough to challenge you, but enough switchbacks to help you zig zag up to the top of the mountain. 

Sometimes you have to take several steps until you can see around the corner of the mountain. Just like in your business, sometimes you won’t see the end result, but you’ll know the next step to take. Taking the next right step will lead you where to turn next and then you’ll be at the top of your business mountain.

 

 

Are you Missing This in Your Business?

Although my business has shifted every which way, I don’t fret because my why has not changed. I am still driven by the same why I had when I started, and it’s getting more clear on how to accomplish it as I climb further up my mountain. The fog and trees are clearing and I can see the valley of righteous women who are wanting me to support them in their business journey. 

What is your why? Could this be what you’re missing for your business? Maybe your still moment is re-focusing on your why behind your hustle for your business. What’s really driving you to do what you do?

My Why

We need more good women with voices out there. God is giving us the opportunity to share. I will help many women with good hearts and messages have the tools to share their message clearly and successfully. 

My friend said it perfectly about explaining the why in your business. She said, “I have this burning in my heart that I need to do this and if I don’t I might go crazy.” 

If you feel this way, it’s time to stand up and share your message to your people! It’s OK if you don’t know exactly how that looks yet. That’s why I’m here. I will teach you how to share your message and reach your audience, and ultimately, help you create a built to last business. 

Here’s an easy next step for you. I created a quiz you can take that will help you figure out your next step to take in your business. The quiz will help you know what to work on and the resources to go with it to create a long-lasting business. 

To take the free quiz, text “QUIZ” to 951.309.7885. 

I adore you, sister. There are people on this earth who only you can serve. We not only want you here, but we need you! Find me on Instagram @iammichellegifford and let me know what you’re missing for your business and what next step you’re taking to climb your mountain.