Here’s another case study from a 10ThousandFeet participant. Deirdre Walsh discovered how to organize her long-term vision into actionable steps she can take now, while reducing the stress of holding on to such big ideas.
Deirdre Walsh, Integrative Health Coach
Spool back to December of last year. I was seriously frustrated with pulling my business together. Maybe frustrated is too cheery a word for what I was feeling. I couldn’t see what my business needed me to see.
A savvy client captured it when she said: “You’re an amazing coach, but you can’t sell worth sh*t.”
I didn’t know what to sell. I didn’t see the structure and dynamics of the business. I didn’t have a handle on the skills that were required. I thought I understood who my best clients were, but they weren’t picking up what I was putting down. My business was whispering encouragement to me, but I couldn’t bring it together into focus.
My eyesight scores high on the near-sighted scale–think Coke-bottle lenses. I need to leave my glasses in the same place every night so I can find them in the morning. And when Tara emailed me last December about 10KFeet she found me, sans metaphorical glasses, standing in the room of my business, squinting and listening, but unable to focus on what I needed to see.
Now, one thing that has served me well over the years is to recognize genius and listen when it calls. So when Tara asked me if I’d like to be part of this mastermind I jumped.
Here’s a short list of what Tara taught me to see and hear:
The strength and uniqueness of my business.
This was a game-changer for me. I’d been looking for a market niche to fill. The most sensible-looking niche met clients where they were stuck. The business opportunity was to drag, cajole, and coax them to stay status quo and not move backwards. Talk about tiring – like Sisyphus-type tiring. Tara helped me see that the strength of what I do is in moving forward with my clients, seeing what they don’t see for themselves.
The conversation my customers want to have about how my business can serve them.
A handful of clients popped up as soon as I got really clear on this. I’ve heard that before and thought it was hype but that is what happened to me. Half of them said: “I’ve been waiting for you, but I didn’t know how to find you.” It’s been much less resource-intensive to connect with, and convert, the clients who make my business hum.
The plan for growth
I have a two-year plan that is unique to my business. I can’t even begin to describe how much stress this has taken away from me. (And managing stress is my thing!) My plan is not hoping that someone else’s plan will work for me. My plan is the plan my business was trying to whisper to me. I’m not second-guessing the choices I’m making, the posts I’m writing, the courses I’m prepping. They all fit into a bigger plan that will unfold over the next couple of years. Wow.
