Ep. 242 The #1 thing you’re missing

We are so lucky that there is so much information readily available, free information, paid-for courses and programmes that will give us the knowledge and the skills that we need to build and grow a business. However, there is one thing that’s often missing…

In this week’s podcast, I discuss…

• The 1 important ingredient that we’re just not getting with all this knowledge and information, whether free or paid-for.
•  The role that implementation support, accountability, and tailored feedback plays in your business.
• The value of having a coach who can be a sounding board, a mentor who can advise you.

Tune into this week’s episode on the podcast to explore the important ingredient that you need to really grow your business.

*Resources mentioned during the episode*

The Outsiders Business Incubator – A year-long business incubator for experienced corporate professionals who want to translate their skills and passions into a profitable and fulfilling business. onestepoutside.com/9to5

Implementation In Business

Hello, and welcome back to the podcast. I hope you’ve had a good first week in June. And I hope you joined us last week for the Business Breakthrough challenge. If you did, I really look forward to if you haven’t already, you letting me know what your breakthrough was, what your one big takeaway was, and how you’re going to implement that. And of course, if you have any final questions you can let me know, you can still watch the recordings for the next month. And you can in fact, download all the recordings of the materials. So you can watch them forever, which is really important.

And but I really hope that that challenge helps you to get your next break through whatever it was that you’re after. And again, I’d love to speak to you individually. As often, you know, we’re just talking out into the world. And we don’t know, and what’s happening on your side. And I love hearing from you. Even if you’re a little bit silent, a little bit quiet, not necessarily showing up on the lives. And speaking in front of everybody. I love it if you let me know how you get on how you got on how you will get on. And today we’re building on what we were looking at last week. So we looked at this big breakthrough that you needed. And you can if you did miss a challenge, you can have a listen to last week’s episode where I also summarized the key building blocks that we’re looking at. Today, I want to talk about something I’ve observed in my own experience of trying to start my business back in the day growing it over the years, joining a lot of different courses and programs and things over the years. And I want to talk about the one thing that you so so need, especially when you’re a little bit further along in your business, but that’s often missing. Because and we talked about this a lot, there’s so much information available now free information and paid information, even compared to when I just started out 10 years ago in 2013. And in fact, that’s why it’s so hard now to stand out with your content.

If you’re looking to build your own business, it’s no longer enough just to, you know, post and write some blog articles and so on as I think it was back then.

But the amount of knowledge and information not to mention, you know, now chat GPT, whatever, you can just ask the the Mr. Robot, whatever his name is, her name is their name is for some guidance. So we’re not lacking information, even answers to our questions. Right. So there’s all that free information available, which is amazing. And again, we’ve talked about this before, it can be overwhelming. But there is all that out there, which is such a good resource to have, then there are paid programs. And again, the number of courses in particular that I signed up to, and probably if you’re a bit further on, you will have done this too. It sounds like an amazing offer. Because it’s only this much, you know, if you’re just starting out, maybe it’s only $47. Or even if it’s $500, or whatever the price is for that course. And it’s more information, even though it’s paid. It’s incredible information. Some of them I joined a membership site years ago.

And this is why the memberships in particular I’m sort of not a big fan of and you’re not paying a lot every month, but it’s just a massive library have often, unfortunately, quite generic content, especially if it’s from the same kind of high level people who are doing the rounds. Who always you know, you’ve heard it before, if you’ve joined other programs, we’ve heard them on a podcast, there’s, you know, John Smith talking about how you do this, and there’s Jane Doe, I guess, hopefully not Jane day, that’s the name they use when someone’s dead, isn’t it? Let’s say Jane, Jane Jones, who, who was talking about something else, and you’ve seen it before, and it’s not, you know, first of all, you don’t know where to start. And there, there’s no kind of pathway.

If there is it’s very, very standardized. And the other thing is, you know, okay, that’s the course then you have a live group program. And I’ve been recently part of one where I’m one of a big group, which is amazing. The best thing about these group programs, by the way, as an aside is that you’re part of that community. And I’ve met some people that I’ve had on the podcast, you can ask questions, having those peers, and that’s not to be frowned upon. That’s not to be, what’s the expression. That’s not to be to do, nevermind, you can I’m sure you’re shouting at me saying and this is the expression you’re looking for. But there you go. That’s the problem with speaking in a broadcasting medium. But it is more valuable than I might be suggesting here and that that community actually almost awake makes those programs worthwhile in itself, right. However, there’s something missing here, there comes a point in particular, when you’ve been in business for a while, when you’ve got that information, you’ve learned that you’ve read the books you’ve done it when actually as we’ve talked about before, as well.

Learning more is just a form of procrastination to do you just don’t want to do the scary work or you’re just kind of doing one more qualification one more course and then you’ll be ready.

But there comes a point when you don’t need more of that basic teaching. You don’t need another video and other membership site and other private however much amazing stuff that sounds like you know and my pet peeve is when when people put like goal value $10,000 But now available for 97 cents or whatever because it’s completely arbitrary but like Amazon saying, hey, this amazing thing is now Oh, you know, 90% off, and it’s never actually been at that price. So that’s a little bit too disingenuous, but anywho. Um, so you don’t need those templates and, you know, videos and trainings and so on what you actually need. And tell me if I’m wrong. Tell me if I’m right as well. That’s nice to hear. You need personal feedback. You need that advice that’s tailored to your specific situation. You need support as you implement and troubleshoot not just a one off, you know, we did last week, the challenge, which is amazing, I hope you agree if you joined, and will, I’m sure be running it again, later in the year if you weren’t able to join and providing it as a recorded session as well.

But that’s all well and good to do one week to go on a retreat to do a weekend. But what about the rest of the year? What about your life, right? And you really need that support as you implement and troubleshoot, above all, if things aren’t going quite to plan. So for example, some questions you might have, how is this headline that I’ve just written for my website? Yes, someone’s given you the formula, I can give you the formula for writing sort of an elevator pitch, but then you’ve got a slightly different business, and you’re not quite sure. And how do I cover this? And I’ve got different strands, and I’m speaking to different clients. So how is this headline? How is this bio on my Instagram? Oh, what should I say in my first proactive outreach email or message on LinkedIn, I’m connecting to people, what should I say? And should I have even a personal connection request? Or should I just do the generic one on LinkedIn? I’m doing X Y, Zed, but I’m not getting results. So what am I doing wrong? I just don’t get that answer in the group program. That’s not something I’m paying for, which is totally fair enough.

But I desperately need it right? Well, I’m getting overwhelmed with all these things I’ve been told to do. So what are the one or two or three things I need to focusing on right now in my stage of my business, that will really make the difference right now? Is this a realistic but still ambitious goal? I haven’t hit the goal. So what do I do now? This has happened? How do I handle it? Right? So all these questions come up for me in my business, when I don’t have a mentor who’s answering my specific questions mastermind group or some small intimate forum where I can ask those questions. And, you know, I’ve said this to clients before, when we’re looking for support is all well and good. And my partner is amazing, has lots of great ideas, and so on. But he’s not necessarily in a in the space, which is sometimes a good thing, right?

And be, I can’t really expect that you know, even a good friend, or a husband or wife, or child or parent or whatever, it is just a sibling, to be there every day, every week when I need these questions, right? They’re not being paid to support me. And I guess also, to some extent, this is, if I’m being completely honest, we don’t listen, as much as perhaps we should do to these people. Because Oh, they don’t know, because they’re not experts, right. So there is sorts of value, great value. And I’m so grateful for the support I get sometimes unsolicited from people. And that’s really helpful. But but sometimes you just want that kind of, yeah, the mentor, who’s there, who has probably been there done that, as they say, Who’s experimented with different things, made lots of different mistakes. And it’s just having a sounding board, having again, that kind of person who actually responds to you and tailors what they’re saying to you. And I think that’s the thing that’s missing, in all the free information that’s out there in a lot of the courses that are there, in group programs, where again, you’re just a number in that group. It’s amazing that you know, we following these really successful people have multimillion dollar businesses and so on. But as we also talked about a few weeks ago, they don’t necessarily remember what it was like for little old me, before I reach those millions. How do I you know, I don’t have a list of 20,000 people. So how do I promote this? So I don’t have super famous friends who have me on their big podcasts and so on. Right? So that’s the kind of thing that’s missing in those programs. So you can stop there, because I am going to give you a little pitch now. So I’m just warning you. But if you can bear with me for a few minutes, I wanted to talk about the answer if that is how you feel that you’re feeling right now, because I certainly am. And so I wanted to give you what I have been missing and what I miss when I’m not getting this kind of support. And that is the business incubator, which I’ve repositioned recently. And based on you know, this is I launched it for the first time in a very different format in 2018.

So it’s been five years, lots of people have gone through it. I’ve done more one to one coaching since I’ve written my book, I’ve evolved my frameworks and so on. I also pause my other program the accelerator to to really make sure that each program that I have, is delivering on a specific goal and for a particular target.

So the incubator is really now positioned as a mentoring program. So to solve all this that I’ve just been moaning and groaning about to help you take your ideas to market and ultimately the end goal is to get you to earning a consistent income in your business.

So by the way, as an aside, if you’re already in a thriving business, you’re hitting your goals every month and you know financially you’re at a good place, then there More advanced mentoring with one to one or the accelerator will be interesting for you. So you can, you can stop listening now if you’d like to. But if you’re not yet there, if you’re, you know, of course, my experienced corporate professional as always my core client that I work with. And if you’re looking to turn your side hustle into a full time business, you’re looking to fully transition out of your career or you have already left your job, but you’re not yet hitting those goals. You want to develop this business that aligns with your lifestyle goals and values, then, this program provides you with the coaching, the structure, the accountability, that you need to earn a living from your expert business. So if you go to one step outside.com, forward slash grow one step outside your comfort grow, you can learn more about the program and also find the application form.

Now, the reason why there’s an application form is that I’m assuming that you’re already at a certain level, not in terms of income, or anything like that. But just that you have an idea and the basics in place, so that we can focus on ongoing implementation and growth for exactly the reason that we’ve just been talking about. If I’m just going to spend the time teaching you some of the basics, then you’re not going to get the mentoring, the feedback, the tailored support that you need to actually get the results that you’re wanting. So there is an assumption that you have, hopefully, most of you will have actually completed my Business Academy. That’s my self paced course, it gives you the curriculum, the foundational curriculum effectively, that we’ll be implementing together in the incubator along with more advanced strategies, of course, tailored to you. But I want to make sure that we all have the equivalent knowledge and understanding when you join the programs, if you go to one step outside.com. Forward slash course, you can find the Business Academy, if you’re not sure, you can always message me as well, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, wherever we’re connected. And you can ask, if if you know you need to do the academy first, maybe you’ve read my book, and you feel like you know, my whole curriculum, and you’re all ready to go. And that will be fine too. Just need to sense check to make sure they’re at that right level. And then that’s going to help you to map out your vision, your clients, your business model, and so on. So once there was a conference that grow is the incubator, you can find the application form there, you are going to get that expert guidance and personal feedback that you’re desperately craving. And certainly I have been to really help you focus on the right things at the right time to get you to where you want to be, you will get access to comprehensive training materials and frameworks that will help you get crystal clear on what you want.

You know, really look at the product mix, you’re going to have how you’re going to reach out to and convert your ideal clients and so on. I will develop training content as well as and when needed. That’s the benefit, again, of having that live feedback, you’ll get weekly structure and accountability to help you identify your priorities for each and every day, every week, stay focused and to review your progress. And yes, you will get a supportive community because that’s so important of other people who get it who are going to cheer you on and share their lessons learned as well. So concretely. And this, I’m sure will evolve. If you’re listening to this later in the year or in the future, bear in mind that I’m constantly not constantly but continually tweaking and improving. But you’ll get an individual kickoff call with me, of course, we’ll design your personal roadmap that’s going to work for your specific goals and circumstances, you will get access to the Academy course curriculum, so that you have that there to refer back to of course, you’ll get one to one support from me, we’ll have quarterly coaching and mentoring calls those weekly accountability check ins, you’ll be getting structured milestones and checkpoints that will hold you accountable. And make sure you’re progressing versus your own goals. Monthly group coaching q&a calls to share your progress wins and challenges with the community. And again, as I said, there will be additional content exercises when needed. I’ve got my recommended tools and resources. And I’ll of course always help you to choose the right sort of tech stack for you and those kinds of things, and recommended reading all sorts of other things, right.

So I’m really excited about this new iteration of the program.

Again, one step outside.com, forward slash grow. It’s really a unique hybrid program, I’d say because it gives you the intimacy of that one to one support. You do get the training frameworks and the structure that you would get in a course. And then you get the community of the group program. And this is a you know, by now built on my experience of 10 years and more, since I quit my job, building my own coaching and consultancy business, trying different business models, trying different marketing and sales strategies, working with a lot of different experts doing a lot of different courses and things myself and above all, and that’s what’s important, validated by the many members who have gone through the program, who have coached no one to one, and who have successfully built their own thriving businesses since then, as well. So one more time it’s the business incubator at one step outside.com. Forward slash grow. If you have any questions, you’ll be able to get in touch with me on the website. Of course you can message me directly as well. And but I’d love to welcome you into the program. We’d love to get a group together. Now as we relaunch the program, it will be really intimate especially in the beginning and I can assure you that’s a good thing, because it means if anything goes even more support from me as the group grows, and that community and network evolves as well, really hoping you’ll join us to get exactly that support and tailored feedback and personalized guidance, troubleshooting, all those things that you know, are unfortunately missing from a lot of the offerings that are out there. In particular, of course, if you’re just relying on free information, but even unfortunately, a lot of the courses in particular and group programs you just don’t get that support. And so I hope you can really see the value of this and you’ll join us in the incubator. Thanks so much for listening, and I’ll see you next week. Bye for now

WORK WITH ANNA

Let us help you design a business and a life that gives you freedom from the 9 to 5. There are several options for how you can work with us. Choose the programme that’s right for you.

The Outsiders Business Incubator

A year-long business incubator for experienced corporate professionals who want to translate their skills and passions into a profitable and fulfilling business. onestepoutside.com/9to5

The Outsiders Business Accelerator

An ongoing mastermind for service-based business owners, freelancers and online entrepreneurs who are ready to achieve success on their own terms. onestepoutside.com/accelerate

The Outsiders Business Academy

A self-paced course for you to work through in your own time, to learn – and implement – the foundations of building a profitable business that lets you escape the 9 to 5. onestepoutside.com/course

1:1 Coaching & Mentoring

If you’re looking for one-to-one support to help you achieve your specific life and business goals, Anna has a limited number of spots for individual coaching and mentoring. onestepoutside.com/coaching