Kat Millar

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How To Go To Your Next Level In Business

What’s your next level? Is there something you want to do next that you’re not currently doing?

I recently spoke at an event and asked this question to the audience. A lot of people came up to me afterwards saying they haven’t thought about their next level for a while.  It’s something that can slip to the back of our mind as we get caught up in day-to-day life.

Your next level might be running a webinar or an event.

Or maybe it’s writing an online course or a book.

It might be asking for a promotion or a raise.

Or maybe it’s starting a business or a side hustle.

What makes you excited?

Your next level could be something you’ve been thinking about for a while, but you’ve put it off. And it sits in the back of your mind… or in a note in your phone… or in a journal… or maybe you’ve shared it with a friend.

Your next level is usually something you’re a bit scared to do – or you feel like you don’t have time to do.

But if you’re totally real with yourself, you know you want to step up. And there’s often a quiet voice inside us whispering for you to go after it.

Our next level is where our growth is. And growth is ultimately what makes our life fulfilling and meaningful.

Your next level will give you a sense of progress and purpose. And progress and purpose ultimately is what makes us fulfilled and excited and gives our life meaning.

Sometimes we think we have to take a massive leap to change our life, but our next level is just ONE action away to get started

Imagine you’re in a bulls eye in the centre of a target board. The bulls eye represents your comfort zone. Your big picture vision is the very outer ring. And your next level is in the ring right next to you.

Sometimes we think we have to take a maaaassive leap to, but your next level is not miles away. It’s usually just one action away to get started. One decision

The challenge is resistance, like fear or doubt can surround us like an invisible boundary. But often the resistance isn’t real, it’s imagined.

We think we’re staying comfortable, but the truth is, the comfort zone starts to get really uncomfortable.

The comfort zone is the great enemy to success.

 

Over the last 18 years helping people get results and transform their lives, I’ve discovered there are 3 main problems that most people face when it comes to going to their next level.

1 –  Not Having The Right Strategy

The first problem is not having the right strategy – when we don’t know where to start, we don’t know the steps or have a solid plan.

2 – Not Having The Right Structures

The second problem is not having the right structures. High achievers and high performers have intentional structures in their lives that grow them. Structures create outcomes.

Without structures, our brain naturally takes the path of least resistance.

When we study nature, we find the principle of the path of least resistance everywhere. Think about a riverbed. A riverbed is an underlying structure that causes the stream of water to flow the way it does.

And it’s the same for us in our lives.

Our mind is designed to conserve energy – it’s called the law of conservation of energy.

We think we want to go to the gym, but we find ourselves on the lounge watching Netflix.

The cool thing is, we can change our structures.

We can put new structures in – like success habits and consistent appointments and commitments that can change our life.

How we got to where we are today is by following certain structures.

Our future is determined by the structures we put in place in our life today.

3 – Not Having The Right Support

And the third problem I see people face is not having the right support. We become who we hang around.

When we spend time with people who are pessimistic, we can become pessimistic. Have you noticed this?

When we don’t seek out the right mentors and mastermind groups, our lives can stay small and stuck.

When you spend time with people who are supportive and uplift you, then you are more likely to go to that next level.

Not having the right strategy, structures, and support, are three things that can put a handbrake on you going to the next level.

When I realised this, I started putting these three things in place with the help of coaches, and I went from being pretty miserable, to having a life that I love.

And now I’m helping other people because I love it. I’ve helped thousands of people go to the next level of their lives and get the results they want.

The majority of people who have gone to the next level, whether they’re stepping up and running an event or running a webinar, or committing to consistent content or committed to learning new skills, they have said to me that it’s actually easier than they thought it would be. Sometimes we make it so big in our head. A lot of people really over-complicate business, and they make it super complex.

But when you sit down and you take it step-by-step and you follow a proven strategy that’s personalised to you, it’s so much easier to go to the next level than you think.

It All Starts With Your Thoughts

What these 3 things all have in common, is they all start with your thinking.

Think back to a time where you had achieved a successful result. What were you thinking at the time of achieving that successful result?

Now think back to a time where you were struggling. What were your thoughts when you were struggling? Was your thinking different? Usually, when you are struggling it’s negative thoughts you are thinking.

The National Science Foundation published an article that found that the average person thinks about 60,000 thoughts a day and 80%  of the thoughts were negative.

Our brain is wired to look for what’s wrong. It’s a survival mechanism. It’s there to keep us safe. Our brain is designed to find the predator and see the threat. Because our brain is designed to follow this path of least resistance, we need to be really intentional to not allow ourselves to fall into that path.

The path of least resistance and comfort actually becomes really uncomfortable in the end. You don’t drift to success or to your next level. You have to be super intentional and it starts with intentional thinking.

It takes a real focussed decision to change our thinking and to push through that boundary of resistance to the next level. You need to identify the resistance that’s coming up in you.

You need to intentionally look for and focus on the positive. So I’m going to give you a simple model that explains this. I talked about this model last week and it’s my TEAR mode.

The TEAR Model

The TEAR model is super simple, but it’s really powerful if you use it as a model and apply it to your life.

T = Thoughts

E = Emotions

A = Action

R = Results

Your thoughts lead to your emotions. Your emotions, lead to your action and your actions lead to your results.

Looking At Your Current Results Through The TEAR Model

If you look at your current results and if you’re not happy with your current results you want to look at the actions that are leading to those results. On a piece of paper, start with writing down your current results.

The current result could be that you only have 5 clients a week, but you want 10 clients. (Separate emotions from this when you do it and just be factual.)

Then you look at what actions you are taking to get you those current 5 clients (your results.)

What do you spend time doing to get those current results? Do you spend time playing around making something look pretty on Canva when you know you should be making an automation funnel? Or do you know you are meant to step up and do video, but keep putting it off?

Next, you want to look at the emotions that are leading to your actions. Maybe it’s overwhelm, or you’re feeling frustration, confusion or apathy. Take a look at how you are feeling and write it down.

These are the emotions that are leading to the negative thoughts that are stopping you from taking action. You could be thinking thoughts like, “I’m scared of failure” or “People might judge me”.

Often these thoughts are happening at a subconscious level and driving your decisions.

Looking At Your Desired Results Through The TEAR Model

Next, you want to write down your desired result. That could be increasing your clients or the amount you are earning. Then you need to decide the actions you need to take like running a webinar or posting consistent content or reaching out to 10 people a day.

To take those actions, you need to look at your emotions and choose emotions like determination, inspiration, passion.

Finally, we need to look at the thoughts we need to think in order to feel those feelings and take the actions.

They could be thoughts like…

“I’ll find a way. I’ll make a way!”

or “The right people are waiting for me”

or “I will do it, even if I’m scared”

or “I can handle it”

Earl Nightingale said “We become what we think about most of the time”.

So what are you thinking about most of the time? And what do you need to be thinking about in order to get what you want?

People who get what they want think differently to people who don’t get what they want.

How much time each day are you spending thinking about what you do want?

How much time each day are you spending with people who have the results you want?

We become who we hang around. If you’re not hanging around with successful people who have the results you want, then it’s going to be a long road to get to success.

Remember, your next level will give you a sense of progress and purpose and ultimately is what makes life fulfilling, exciting, and meaningful. 

Want help to grow your business? 

Do you want help to attract more aligned clients consistently, so you can grow a profitable, lifestyle-friendly business that you LOVE?

I offer a free 45-minute business strategy session, where you’ll get personalised guidance, direction, clarity, and a clear action plan.

I’ll walk you through a proven business growth roadmap and personalise it to show you exactly what you need to do to hit your financial and freedom goals. 

This is only for people who haven’t had a free strategy session with me yet and are ready and committed to growth.

Apply Now For Your Free Strategy Session With Kat

Looking forward to connecting with you!

Kat

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Are you an introvert or extrovert? What this says about how fast you’ll succeed in business

Have you ever wondered what effect your personality style is having on how fast you’re growing your business?

A lot of people share with me that they struggle to do the things that successful business owners do, like holding an event, doing a Facebook live video, or running a webinar, and put it down to being an introvert.

Other times, extroverts tell me that normally they can talk to anyone – but when it comes to talking to that little lens on their laptop, they get anxious.

Too often, we use our personality type – such as being an introvert to STOP us from doing the very things we KNOW we need to do, so we can see the results we want.

The KEY to getting results quickly in your business is to be able to clearly see what is acting as a handbrake and stopping you from moving forward in your business…

It is always the story we’re telling ourselves. And it all begins with our thoughts.

Being able to identify the thoughts that hinder our actions, and ultimately our results, helps you BREAKTHROUGH your limitations…

…and into the business success you dream of.

The challenge is, most of us have no awareness of the thoughts that are causing the issues because they are happening at the unconscious level.

In this training, I share how being an introvert or extrovert affects how fast you’ll succeed in business…

so you can…

* Use your personality traits to your advantage

* Identify the thoughts and beliefs hindering you from getting results

* Step out of the slow lane and into the results fast lane TODAY

I share my TEAR Model – a success creation formula that enables you to quickly identify what you need to focus on to create success in your business.

Introvert or Extrovert?

Let’s start by thinking about whether you identify as an introvert or an extrovert. I have a lot of people talk to me about this, and they use one or the other, as a way of explaining their results or their actions.

Introverts and extroverts both have traits that can serve them, and traits that can hinder them. There are pros and cons for each. You may identify as an extrovert or an introvert, or you may not identify as either.

Perhaps you identify as an ambivert, which is someone who has qualities of growth. All of us identify with each area in some ways. Sometimes we love hanging out with people because we’re human and we’re social creatures.

An ambivert is not someone who sometimes likes being with people and sometimes doesn’t. How ambiverts are typically described, is that they can slip into either depending on their mood, their context and their goals.

Ambiverts have also been called outgoing introverts. I naturally identify as an introvert because I love spending lots of time by myself, compared to a lot of people.

A lot of people don’t realise that I’m an introvert. They assume because I’m a speaker and I’m constantly showing up on video and running events, that I’m an extrovert. I have high energy when I’m with a group, so people often assume that I’m an extrovert every day.

I’ve also heard it described sometimes as an anti-social extrovert.  Naturally, these people are extroverted,  but they need a lot of time to recharge, before and after socialising.

And then, they really need a lot of time by themselves to draw energy, but they still love connection and being social. It kind of comes down to the amount of time that you really want to be with other people and where you get your energy from.

Beliefs About Introverts And Extroverts

A lot of people tell me that they are introverts and therefore they struggle to put themselves out there on video or running webinars or doing Facebook Lives.

It was Carl Jung who advanced the theory on introverted and extroverted personality types. He defined introversion as inwardly directed psychic energy. We may assume that introverts are shyer and find it harder. We may assume that extroverts are more willing to put themselves out there and present themselves more boldly and confidently.

It used to be that extraversion was a strong predictor of who would become a leader. But this thought has been debunked somewhat.

In my experience, all personality types struggle if they don’t have the right thinking, regardless of whether they identify as an introvert or extrovert.

According to an article on Inc.com, psychologists had discovered that introverts do just as well in leadership roles. A lot of these stereotypes have been challenged in recent times. I’ve read a number of articles on introverts who are really successful leaders and entrepreneurs.

In the past, in Western society extraversion was really celebrated. The outgoing enthusiastic person often is thought to get more things done and may be known as a greater communicator. This is seen as an asset.

However, other articles show that the introvert / extrovert scale only represents about 20% of what they called the Big Five personality traits. And that is a lot more to a person than how much social stimulation they need.

And this is really what I’m wanting to drive through as a point here,  is that your success rate in business has very little to do with whether you identify as an introvert or extrovert.

In my experience, over the last 17 years in business, I’ve met a lot of successful extroverts and a lot of successful introverts.

What is it that is actually determining our rate of success then?

I have created a formula for success. I call it the TEAR Model.

T – Thoughts

E – Emotions

A – Actions

R – Results

The TEAR model explains that our thoughts lead to our emotions. Our emotions lead to our actions. And our actions lead to our results.

This is basic psychology. I didn’t make that up. I just gave it a label.

I just named a concept from everything that I’ve looked at in psychology from NLP to fixed mindsets and growth mindsets and cognitive behaviour therapy.

Our results are based on our actions, our actions are based on our feelings and all of it is coming from our thinking and the stories that we tell ourselves. These stories include how we think about ourselves.

Our self-image is made up of the stories that we tell ourselves. It’s made up of the beliefs, thoughts, and data or proof that we’ve collected over time. This all contributes to our story that we rehearse. But these stories are just thoughts.

So if we want to change our results, we need to look at what thoughts are driving those results. Most people are stuck at the results level, and asking themselves why they can’t get more results.

Everything that has been created has started with a thought.  For example, a bookshelf. Someone had the thought to build a bookshelf. They got a feeling from that thought, whether it was a feeling of motivation creation, innovation, whatever it was. They took action and they created a result, which is the finished bookshelf.

Our thoughts are habits and you can create new thought habits. Instead of saying, “I’m an introvert, so I find it hard.” Choose a more empowering thought.

There are so many successful introverts. If you look at the Top 10 richest people in the world, who are multi-billionaires, like Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, and Bill Gates – about half the lists are introverts and the other half are extroverts.

These introverts are still putting themselves out there and not letting their introverted natures stop them from succeeding.  Richard Branson is an introvert that sits on a couch and is kind of shy. He looks a little bit awkward. I’ve seen him live. He may be an introvert, but he’s presenting all the time.

Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Wozniak the co-founder of Apple, and Barack Obama, are all people who identify as introverts, and these people still present. A lot of them present regularly, and they don’t let being an introvert stop them.

If you want to succeed in business, your rate of growth is measured by how willing you are to take the right action,  regardless of how you were born and what natural personality type you are.

Reverse Engineering the TEAR Model

When you look at the TEAR Model, and you say you want to get your business going fast, and you want to make money, help people and be creative. Perhaps you want to create an online course or a webinar or a coaching group program.

Grab a piece of paper and write down your page T.E.A.R. Start at the bottom with R.

R – Results

In the R line – put the result you want. Maybe the result is to make $10,000 a month or run a webinar, whatever your result is you are aiming for.

 A – Actions

Then in the A line, you need to write all the different actions you need to take, to get to the result. It could be you need to create a free downloadable recourse or create a landing page and funnel. There are so many different lead generation strategies, and you just need to pick them and go for it for the next 30 days.

E – Emotion

In the E line, you need to write what emotions you need to have to take those actions. So you don’t want to be depressed, anxious, fearful, or stressed. What you want is to be determined and motivated.

You want to have the feeling of energy, that you’re unstoppable. Think about the emotion that’s going to make you want to take those actions and just write all those emotions out.

The emotion could be feeling unstoppable, or feeling passionate or grateful. These are the emotions that will drive you to take action.

T – Thoughts

Finally, what thoughts do you need to think? Thoughts are a little bit sneaky, as it’s harder to catch thoughts. What thoughts do you need to be thinking to get those feelings, take those actions and get that result?

With the thoughts, often you need to write them out or you need to go through them with a coach.  Because for us to change,  we have to change the meaning we put on things.

If we’ve been looking at something the same way the whole time,  it’s really hard for us to see and have a different perspective on that thing. We often need someone else to give us a different perspective.

For example, if I hold up my phone. I’m looking at the Apple logo and you’re looking at the face of my screen. We’re both looking at the same object. But I’m looking at it from a completely different angle to you. I can only see this side of it, and you can only see the other side of it.

It’s the same with a result. We look at it one way. And there could be hundreds, if not thousands of ways to look at it. It’s very hard for us to try and do it in our mind.

We need to externalize it,  and get it down on paper and do some self-coaching on it. This will help us get a little bit further than keeping it in our head.  But ultimately, if you want to see a transformation, you need someone else’s perspective.

You need someone else to see things or draw things out of you, that were previously unconscious. About 90% of our thoughts we think every day are unconscious thoughts, and we are not even aware we are having those thoughts.

Your Thoughts Drive Your Results

It’s those unconscious thoughts that are driving our results. So, we can also sit down and think about the results we want, and what you might need to be thinking to get that.

One thought is: “Whatever it takes, I have everything I need to succeed.” How often are you repeating a thought like that in your mind, if you really want that desired result?

How often are you having these commands that are going to get you that result? “I absolutely can create 10k a month as a business owner, and I will keep going until I find a way.”

If we thought that empowering thought dozens and dozens and dozens of times every day, and we felt the emotion of it, eventually we would start taking the actions and start getting the results.

Most people are focusing on the problems and all the reasons why things won’t work. They are focusing on the things that are going to give them a completely different result.

Using The TEAR Model On Current Results

So let’s look at the other side of it, and look at what your current results are. On the other side of the paper to your TEAR,  write down your current situation. And this is where you can start reverse-engineering the thoughts that are driving your current results. It sounds simple but it is actually not.

It takes thinking and intention to really get to know what those subconscious thoughts are. To do this, look at your results. Let’s say you are only making $1,000 a month. That’s your current result.

Then ask yourself what actions you are taking that are leading you to the $1000 a month.  It could be that you are contacting five people a month. Or you are doing Facebook Live once every three weeks. You may be reaching out to your email list once a month. These are all the actions you are taking to cause your current result.

Then write what feelings are driving these actions. Are you feeling negative about yourself? What do you say to yourself?

Are you saying to yourself, “I don’t really think I know what I’m doing? I’m kind of a bit vague. I don’t really trust myself. I don’t have a specific niche, so I’m coming from a place of doubt. I don’t want to turn up on camera so I’m avoiding running a webinar.”

There are so much fear and negativity attached to these feelings and all of these thoughts are negative, so these are leading to your wishy-washy results. You’re not putting yourself out there and showing yourself boldly.

Footpath Activities Versus Fast Lane Activities

I give an analogy of footpath activities, steady lane activities, medium lane, and fast lane activities.

Negative, pessimistic thoughts zap your energy. There is a flatness that comes with resignation. Instead of working on what you need to work on, you watch Netflix and don’t do what I call ‘fast lane’ activities. Fast Lane activities are what get you in the fast lane and get results fast.

Fast lane activities are: directly contacting people, sales calls, and private messages.

Medium lane activities include: following up leads, creating a webinar, creating a client attraction funnel, creating consistent content.

Steady lane activities include sending a weekly or twice weekly email to your list and updating your Facebook group regularly or posting really valuable content.

Footpath activities include: mucking around on Canva and trying to make things look pretty. Creating things that you don’t really need to create. Consuming a whole heap of content that is not needed but it’s fun.

If you look at your results, and your actions, you will probably find that you’re not getting the results you want, like the 10k a month, then you’re probably doing a lot of these footpath activities.

Think about the feelings, the doubt, the fear, and what thoughts are causing this result? “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t really know what I’m doing. Nothing works for me. Facebook’s too hard to figure out. I suck at technology.”

These thoughts are keeping you on the footpath and out of the fast lane. The TEAR Model is super easy, but it’s powerful to work out what you need to think, feel and take action on, to create the result you want. I encourage you to do this activity.

Do you need an external perspective on issues you are struggling with in your business? Are you finding it hard to unpack them and need to see your business blind spots?

Please get in touch with me. I give free strategy sessions for people who have not had one before with me.

You can book a strategy session with me here.

See you soon,

Kat

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What’s Most Important To Me In Business And Why

 

A few people have been asking me recently about what’s important to me in business.

Understanding your business values is one of the most powerful ways to prioritise and make great choices, and reduce decision-fatigue.

If you’re trying to roll out something in your business and you’re wondering why it’s not working, it may be because what you’re doing is not aligned with your values and doesn’t have the right energy and passion behind it.

When you outwork your values in your day-to-day life, you feel aligned. You’re not going in different directions – where part of you is really happy and satisfied about what you’re doing, and another part is frustrated.

The way you know you’re not aligned, is that you get tension in your body.

When you really stop and think about what’s most important to you in business and you strip away all the external things, like the incessant need to impress other people or the need to look good… you tap into the true source of inspiration inside you.

This is the FUEL that’s going to motivate you to keep going when business gets tough.

Business gets tough. It can be a roller coaster. It’s hills and valleys – it’s rarely smooth sailing. This is why we need to make sure we’re clear on our business values, because they keep us going and focused on the right things.

When we really tap into our ‘why’, and understand and honour what drives us at the deepest level, we feel aligned, relaxed, calm, and in flow. We feel motivated, energised and inspired to KEEP GOING, no matter what.

So I decided to unpack my business values with you, to get you thinking about what’s most important to you in your business, so you can plan and prioritise your actions that are aligned with your values.

I will take you on a journey to help you reflect on your business values, who you’re becoming, how happy you are with where you’re at right now, and how fast you’re evolving.

I’ll share my top five values in business and how I outwork these business values in my day-to-day life. I’ll share how you can determine your business values, how they’re different from your personal values, and how you can outwork them.

Answering powerful check-in questions at the beginning of a day, week, month, or quarter is one of the best ways to get alignment.

The more you ask yourself and answer powerful questions, the more you get powerful answers.

I ask myself who, how, what, where, and why questions regularly. These are valuable questions that help keep you aligned.

Here are the questions…

1 – Who Do I Want To Become More Of?

The first question to ask yourself is “Who do I want to become more of?”

Who are you becoming? Take time to think of your future you – your future identity, and future vision. This activity is SO powerful.

I learned this in a coaching course and I now do it with my clients.

Future Vision Activity

Imagine you’re 75 years old and someone’s coming to your house and interviewing you. And they ask you what’s it like being such a successful…(You fill in the blank.)  When I did this, I said speaker, spiritual mother, philanthropist, author, and advisor.

When I’m 75, I don’t want to be retired. I still want to be writing, speaking, and taking more of an advisory role in my business. I want to be on the board of advisors for my company, and have a CEO looking after the day-to-day operations.

When I think about who I’m becoming, I’m thinking about that ultimate future. Who am I, becoming right now? Who do I want to become more of? If I keep taking the actions that I’m taking now, what trajectory is that leading me on?

If I want to become a successful speaker, I need to be doing things in my day-to-day life and putting things in my calendar, potentially every day, if not every week that grow me to become a successful speaker. These will eventually lead me to become that successful speaker and world-class coach.

You can also place characteristics around your ‘who’.  So think about the character of who you want to be. For example, I want to be more kick-ass. I don’t mean intimidating, but to me, kick-ass people, are relentlessly dedicated to creating results.

I want to be that person who is kicking goals, in order to inspire other people,  because inspiring people taps into my personal value of contribution.

Perhaps in your character, you want to be more patient. That’s one of my characteristics I want to develop this year, is being more patient. Maybe you want to become more kind, inclusive, or resilient.

If you want to be braver, you need to prove this to yourself by doing things that scare you. You prove it to yourself by doing things like Facebook Live videos or running a webinar even if you’re scared of tech and don’t feel like a good speaker.

2 – How Quickly Am I Evolving?

Ask yourself how. How quickly are you evolving? How are you evolving in business, or in your personal development? How quickly are you dedicated to catching what the issue is where you need to improve and working on it straight away instead of delaying it?

In order for me to grow quickly so I can help people who are struggling and suffering, I need to ask myself these ‘how’ questions, and so do you.  We need to stop being doormen and start taking the fast lane instead of the footpath.

I was sharing in my Inner Circle group today about putting the accelerator on and choosing to stop cruising. How much time are you spending in the fast lane really accelerating your growth by facing the stuff that scares you?

How long do you spend facing those things that are in the next level of your comfort zone? If you think about your comfort zone as a boundary that’s around you, that boundary is made up of your fear, because you don’t want to go over that boundary into your next level.

Your next level life outside of your comfort zone is your growth zone, so your fear is keeping you in that boundary. f you want to grow quickly, you need to step out and face your fears. It’s here that you quickly evolve for the sake of the people watching your life and for the sake of those who you will help in the future.

3 – What Can I Do Today To Live From My Values?

Ask yourself, what can you do today to live from your own values?  I really love asking myself this question. Sometimes I just go for a walk without my phone. And I just take one question with me. So just get the question in my mind and I walk until I get the answer for it.

What can I do today to live from my values? This question forces your mind to come up with your answer because you’re not asking ‘am I’, you are asking actually what can you do today to make living in your values a reality?

This is a powerful question because your mind is so resourceful and creative, and it will come up with the answers for you. And then you want to take action on them and actually do them.

4 – Where Do I Need To Improve?

Be honest with yourself, and ask yourself, Where do I need to improve? Where is it that I’m sucking or really failing at right now? Maybe you can fake it with other people,  but don’t fake it to yourself.

If you’re eating a bag of chips every night, yet trying to lose weight, or if you’re scrolling on your phone for an hour every morning when you wake up,  instead of doing something else that will progress your business or life, then you’re not being honest with yourself.

Really face yourself and don’t fake to yourself. Instead of thinking ‘one day’, take steps today to improve yourself.  Let’s face it, we don’t know if tomorrow will come, so taking steps today is what is important.

5 – Why Is It Important For Me To Go To The Next Level?

Why is it important for you to go the next level?  Why is it actually important for you to step out of that boundary where you’ve kept myself safe and small because of fear?

We’ve all got a next level to go to.

For some of us, it’s going to the next level in finances or to the next level in running events or writing a book.

Whatever it is, we’ve all got a next level and we’ve all probably been putting the next level off.

I feel like that’s the most common theme that I see with my clients. I see they want to do something and they procrastinate. We don’t procrastinate typically because we’re lazy, we procrastinate because we’re not clear on the benefits and the reasons why we should be doing something.

I often ask myself why it’s important for me and don’t just give a few answers. I will write at least 50 answers – usually 80-100.

I ask myself, for example, why is it important to do Facebook Lives each week, or why is it important to learn to do Insta stories or to write a blog each week?

My Personal Values

and

1- Freedom

My number one value in life and business is freedom. That’s why I left my full-time job in 2003 and I haven’t been a full-time employee since.

Freedom for me is about setting my own rules, being my own boss, and being free from the rat race I was in. Freedom is a higher value for me than security.  It’s more important to me than a safe income. 

2 – Growth

Look at how you spend your time and you will know your values. Look at your calendar. Is it filled with gym sessions, business events, etc. or is it filled with a whole lot of space where you sit and watch Netflix?

Look at what is on your walls and what kind of books you read. If you look at your audible account, what kind of books are in there?

You can see what your values are by looking at where you spend your time, energy, and resources. This will show you what you value.

3 –  Health

Health and energy are really important to me. Having enough energy and making sure that I’m exercising regularly and nourishing my body, soul, and spirit.

Looking after my health and energy is about eating well,  getting enough sleep, getting enough exercise, taking breaks, and going on holidays. These are all part of my health values.

4 – Connection

Spending time connecting with people and building relationships is one of my highest values. It’s part of the way I feed my soul. Connection is a value that I build into my business.

5 – Creation

It’s so important to me to create my own content, legacy items, and intellectual property and package it all up and share it.

My Business Values

With your personal values, you look at your life in every area.

With your business values, you want to think more specifically about what is most important to you in business. Think about how you’re serving people and what’s important to you in terms of your lifestyle. For example, to have integrity, to be honest, reliable, and give great customer service.

These are quite obvious, but there are some deeper things like what makes you unique and it becomes your manifesto. I like to set up business values that I’m aiming towards as guidelines and goals, rather than values I’ve necessarily arrived at.

1 – Radical Resilience

Radical resilience is doing what I know is the right thing to do, whether I feel like it or not. That encompasses discipline and encompasses consistency. It’s turning up with I feel like it or not – because I’ve made a commitment.

Radical resilience is also bouncing back. If I do an event and it doesn’t work as well as I wanted it to,  I don’t wallow with it, I just keep going. I keep going until it works. It’s having an ‘until’ mindset.

When  I look at my to-do list, I’ve got hundreds of action items on there. I’m going to just keep going through until they’re done, or I delegate them to someone. But I know that I’ll never give up. I just will not ever give up. Going back and giving up is just not an option for me. It never ever enters my mind.

2 – Authentic Expression

With authentic expression, I don’t always get it right. Sometimes I feel like I’m not fully expressing who I am. Sometimes I question who I am. I’m not really sure.  I’m such a by-product of all my mentors that I’ve studied.

Am I really using my own authentic voice? This is something I keep working on and evolving towards.  If you think of innovation,  it’s often the combination of different ideas, plus someone else’s creativity added to it. So that’s something that I’m evolving to become.

3 – Extreme Ownership

Extreme Ownership is another of my high values. There’s a great book called Extreme Ownership. I recommend you read it. Extreme ownership is taking ownership of everything in your business and being responsible for it.

I’m 100% responsible for my reaction to what happens. I can’t control coronavirus, the economy, or all these other external things,  but I can change my response to it and pivot to make my business better.

4 – Productive Organisation

Productive organisation and consistency are something I’m working towards. It doesn’t come naturally to me.

It’s something I have to train myself in as it’s not a natural gift or talent, despite people thinking that I’m very organised.

I strive to be organised. It’s like striving for excellence. Sometimes I have to launch things at 80% or 90% because the ROI of me getting that thing to perfection is just wasting time. And so I’ve got to just be consistent and be organised and just do my absolute best. But I have to let go of perfectionism.

5 –  People-Focused Growth And Contribution

It’s not enough for me to just amass money, or just to build an empire. For me, it’s about how can I serve others or support them? How can I give back? How can I invest money into charities and causes that I care about?

I invite you to come up with your top five values if you haven’t already. It’s about growing every day towards your values.

P.S. Would you like to know exactly how to define your business values and outwork them, so you can accelerate your business faster?

I offer a free discovery session (first-time sessions) for people who want help to take their business to the next level.

I’ll map out a clear business roadmap for you to follow straight away, so you can get more clients and hit your freedom figure asap!

Apply for your free session here

See you soon,

Kat

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5 Fun Ways To Create A Powerful USP & Stand Out Online

Are you clear on what makes you different?

Having a USP (unique selling proposition) helps you stand out online and differentiates you from your competitors.

People searching for a solution online are often overwhelmed with options. They want to quickly be able to identify why you’re different to your competitors, so they know why they should choose you, as opposed to another business.

Your USP is what makes your business stand out. At its core, it should quickly answer that question that your potential clients have in their mind, which is “What makes them different from other options I’m looking at?”

Understanding your USP is crucial to guide your marketing decisions.

I like to think of your USP being the sweet spot between what your client wants and what you are really good at.

A really compelling USP should be memorable. And it should be specific and tangible. It shouldn’t be, “We deliver fast service” or “We have a high-quality service.” That’s very vague and general.

You want it to be specific, so it’s your offer, your way of teaching, your methodology, framework, or formula that makes you different.

It should also be focused on what your ideal clients value because there’s no point in being unique just for uniqueness’s sake.

It needs to be something important to them so they truly care about it. And it’s more than just a slogan and a compelling tagline. It’s something that you incorporate into every area of your business. You show your uniqueness and craft your message around that.

So here are 5 fun ways to create a powerful USP and stand out online…

1 –  Unpack Your Uniqueness

To unpack your uniqueness, think about the things that you do that other people struggle to do, but you do it really naturally and really easily.

At the moment I’m working with a client and we are working on crafting their webinar and building a framework around it. She couldn’t believe how easily I could come up with a framework, because it comes effortlessly for me.

What are the things that you can do easily, that come effortlessly to you because you’ve done it for so long? This is part of your unique brilliance and your genius zone.

People pay really good money for people who work in their genius zone. People are born with talent and gifting’s, but  your USP also includes your mastery of an area, your skill acquisition,  time and effort  you’ve put in to learning.

There’s a difference between being gifted and talented, and actually being masterful at a skill because you’ve honed it and unpacked it. You’re not just brilliant at it, you’ve unpacked that gift and you’ve developed it.

What kind of things have you really developed that other people haven’t developed? Also think about what your friends, family, clients and people that you know would say you’re really great at?

Unpacking your uniqueness is finding what makes you who you are. Then think about your personality. Not everyone wants to work with certain personality types. Just your personality can be enough to differentiate you from other people.

Your USP doesn’t have to be some really crazy thing that no one else is doing. For me, I’m a combination of practical business skills and strategy, and also mindset and spiritual. So these are things I’ve combined in my business that made me a little bit different.

I only ever teach what I do. Some people are just learning, teaching, then learning and teaching, but they are not actually applying it and getting success before they teach other people.

I think about my background as a teacher and a trainer for 6 years. I was a teacher,  trainer and assessor. I was a lecturer in business and fitness, so my training background is part of my USP.

I have an ability to run full-day workshop online and this makes me a little bit different to some people that don’t have that background. So think about what work you’ve done in the past and think about different combinations of things that you’ve done that are different.

The very first person who taught me presenting had a copywriting background.  He used to be a copywriter and he pulled that skill set into his presenting skills and it was a really unique combination. It was actually why I signed up for his program.

So think about the work you’ve done in the past 10 or so years. My background is as a weight loss coach and personal trainer, so now a lot of my clients are in wellness and it’s part of my USP.

I understand the process of transformation. I can really help a lot of people who work in the health, fitness and wellness industry, because I’ve worked in it myself.

I have a client who runs a gym in Melbourne, and I’m helping them work through their whole sales process, because I’ve worked in a gym for so long. My skills used as a trainer in a gym apply to business.

I have an understanding of mindset and breaking through limiting beliefs, which come up in business all the time. I used to train world champion bodybuilders, so I understand resilience and the entrepreneurial mindset of having to push through when things are hard.

Think about your gifts, skills, your area of brilliance, your personality, and other unique traits you hold.  These are what make you a little bit different. These are part of what makes you unique and they form your USP.

2 – Dig For The Difference

Digging for your difference is really about defining how your program is different. Your USP defines your uniqueness, and then you have to dig for the difference, which is why people will be attracted to your program or offer.

What is it in your program, or in your offer, or your service that could be a little bit different? Maybe you include some finished components, so you’ve done work for them already.

I do that usually as a bonus, where I might do a “done for you landing page” for my clients or some “done for you copywriting”.  I also offer lifetime access to my modules for my online courses, and that’s something that not everybody offers.

When you think through the components of your offer or your program, what are some things that other people don’t offer? Maybe you’re really good at making things very clear and step-by-step. Or perhaps you’re very good at organising your knowledge and taking someone through step-by-step.

Maybe your program has one-on-one components, because you’re still a small business and small enough for it to be really personalised. This is something that makes me a little bit different. I’ve learned from multi-million dollar companies and I’ve invested lots of money in them. I’ve learned a lot of strategy from them.

But my business is still at a point where I can be personalised, so people don’t just become a number and get lost in the crowd.  I can have a really small, specific mastermind of a few people so that there’s lots of personalised support from me.

Another reason why my program is different, is that a lot of programs give monthly group coaching calls. And I decided to make my group coaching weekly, because I just really wanted to provide that level of ongoing support.

So you might think about what your program looks like in terms of the level of support you give. You may want to do daily texts for people.

When I was working as a weight loss coach, one of the motivational things I came up with, was that I would text my clients a motivational text every morning.

The very first course I did was in MailChimp, my online CRM. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, my clients would get an email. I had Monday Motivation, Winning Wednesday and Friday Feast. I would email my clients a YouTube link, or a recipe, a motivational quote, or image.

This was a 12-week program so I  created 36 emails for it. People just loved receiving these motivational, inspirational things in their inbox. So think about what you can do to make yourself a little bit different.

Something I do in my program, is I have a manifesto. When I used to do live events, I would laminate a manifesto and put a little chocolate and a few different things in a gift pack on the chairs, so when people came into the boardroom, there was something a little extra there.

When I was running a business speaking group, I created a card and superimposed the person’s face over a TED talk speaker. I did it on Canva. I put their face on that person’s body, and it was like them delivering a TED talk and I put a caption, “This is going to be you one day.”

These cute, fun, and quirky things are part of the culture you are building for your community. I run an inner circle community which is a small, private Facebook community and I’m in there answering questions every single day.

I know that’s different because a lot of programs don’t have the course creator actually answering the questions every day. They get admin people to do it. And I may not always do this, as my business grows, but right now I can do this, so this is another point of difference I offer.

3 –  Pinpoint Your Promise

Pinpointing a promise is like you’re making a pledge to your clients.  This can be implied, not just spelled out in your USP statement. You want to think about the result of what you are going to promise your client.

Give an outcome in your promise. An example is, “If you follow these steps, you will get this outcome.” Or it could be, “If you follow this formula, you will get this result.”

I did a challenge a few years ago and it was a $10K challenge that the guy promised. It was such a clear promise. He promised if I did his steps, I would make $10k.

It takes courage and boldness to have a strong promise like that, but it’s absolutely worth thinking about. If your promise has any type of number or dates within it, like, “Lose 5 kilos in five weeks.” People absolutely love these.

A friend of mine has a promise of, “Book 3 discovery calls in 48 hours.” This has got the number and the dates, so it’s super powerful.

4 –  Comb Your Competitors

Combing your competitors means looking at what your competitors do who are above you, and then implementing that. Look at 3 different businesses who are above you at the next level and model them.

Don’t copy. Look at the language they use because they’ve obviously done a lot of research. If they’re quite ahead of you, they’ve really done a lot of research, so look at what they’ve done differently.

Then look at what you can do to bring something different or better.  Ideally, do something better. If you’re just starting out now, look at how you can beat them. Use the fact that you’re smaller because you can use being small to your advantage.

Being a smaller business means you can provide personalised support and service that a lot of big companies can’t do because they’ve grown so much. They can’t do one-on-one anymore because they’re just too busy. Use what you’ve got and play to your strengths.

I’ve got a new client in Utah and she’s fabulous. She’s got 3 different target markets. She’s a real estate agent, and we were talking about how she will find the language that each 3 target audiences use.

My suggestion was to choose 3-5 Facebook groups to hang out in every single day for 7 days. Spend a good 10-20 minutes there each day, reading people’s comments and questions, and she will get a good feel for what people want and how to use their language.

5 – Start A Story Bank

Your stories are really what makes you unique. Your unique stories are valuable and they are yours, so start a story bank.

Open a Google document or spreadsheet, and think about your ideal clients. Think about their 3 biggest pain points and problems. Then think about a time in your life where you had these problems.

I decided to group it in decades. So from 0-10 years old. 10 to 20 years old etc. I know this sounds crazy and you probably are thinking why things from childhood can be relevant, but you can take learnings and wisdom from these experiences.

Say for example, when you were 9, your mum left or you moved overseas. Share the wisdom you have drawn from that experience. It doesn’t have to be directly related to your business. Then think of 3 instances from each decade from your life that relate to the pain points your target market experience.

Your combination of stories and experiences really makes up your USP. If you’re 45-years old, you’ve got 5 decades to draw from. That’s 15 stories you could have.

They could be turning points or an emotional experience where you had some kind of pain or problem that potentially is going to relate to your ideal client.

One of the things that led me to push to build a business is, I remember seeing my Dad be so diligent and going to work every single day at the same company for 40 years. But he left that job with no intellectual property.

I don’t want that to happen to me. I want to have a legacy that I build. I want to create something that’s mine. I don’t want to pour my heart into someone else’s business or company.

When I was a teacher for 6 years, I was teaching someone else’s curriculum and that really bothered me, because I wanted to be teaching my own content. These types of stories are going to help your unique selling proposition.

I have a client in Ukraine. I met him when I was living in London and he connected with me 10 years later. He is adopting a new daughter. He said he needed a coach and he wanted to work with me. He has a beautiful team of people who are growing his company with him.

We’ve just gone through this process of defining his USP. It started off as a community dedicated to impacting orphans, so it was all about orphan care. His heart is to help orphans because that’s where the sex trafficking trade thrives, when orphans are released and don’t have family support.

Then we were looking at another community that was wider and broader called, Journey For More. They are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. We were toying with the idea of going more specific or whether he should go broad to make his community broader.

We decided on something in the middle, “Live Your Fullest Calling By Contributing To The World’s Most Pressing Needs.” We found this in-between space, where it’s all about everyday people wanting to contribute to a cause that is one of the world’s most pressing needs.

It’s a beautiful example of how we need to craft and think about where we’re at in our journey, what types of clients we want to attract, and how we want to be specific and clear, but also open it up so that you can really grow and expand as well.

So that’s 5 fun ways you can create your USP and stand out online.

I recommend you share your USP on social media, in emails, and in other places you show up online, such as if you are interviewed on a podcast or Facebook Live video.

You don’t just want to create your USP and put it in a drawer or in a folder. You want to consistently be showing your uniqueness.

Take the time to think about your uniqueness and why someone would listen to you over someone else. And then keep repeating that same message.

You might feel like a broken record. I do sometimes, but repetition is the mother of skill and it’s one of the key ways that people get to know your brand, messaging, and what makes you unique.

Want help defining your USP and uniqueness to stand out?

I offer a free discovery session for first-time people who want to take their business to the next level, so if you need help, please don’t struggle alone. Reach out.

Apply for a free strategy session here

Chat soon,

Kat

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Content That Gets You Likes Vs Content That Gets You Clients

There is a big difference between content that gets you likes, and content that gets you clients.

And it’s not just the dollars that come with gaining clients. I have discovered 3 simple tricks that will make your content 100% more compelling.

Content that gets you likes may be interesting and entertaining. It might be a little educational.

But there are depths and layers that we can add to our content, which inspires people to actually take action as a result of reading your content, and this is our ability to influence through our content.

Influence is the ability to inspire someone to take action to get more of what they want. To influence someone, you have to go deeper into their subconscious mind.

Lots of people are producing content, creating videos and getting themselves out there online now, but not many people have a solid, consistent, client database and income.

Success is not about just people liking and commenting on your posts. The most successful people actually aren’t spending all this time on social media checking likes and checking comments.

The most successful people are too busy servicing their clients to worry about that.

Once you know how to create influential content that is compelling, your whole world expands and opportunities open for you.

It doesn’t mean you’re better, it just means that people position you and see you differently. More people contact you to speak on their podcast or in their Facebook group. That’s what happened when I shifted my live events online.

When I was started shifting all my events online, I had many invites to speak to various groups and on podcasts. This was because I was consistently showing up.  I was willing to consistently show up with content that influenced.

I challenged myself to not just create ‘How To’ content or ‘Step by Step’ content, but to go deeper into people’s subconscious mind, because that’s how you influence. When you understand the drivers below the surface logic, then you can get more people booked into your calendar for strategy sessions and discovery calls.

Influential content is crafting your words in a way that makes people want to take action, and take that next step towards actually working with you.

Whenever I put out a new blog or a new video, or send a new email,  I’ve really crafted it and thought about the how to make it compelling and influential. Typically people reach out to me and book into my calendar or webinars, or they contact me privately.

Crafting influential content works. You don’t have to have 1000’s of people on your mailing list, you just need to know how to influence people.

When you have developed the skill of influence, people will reach out to you for PR opportunities and for joint venture opportunities.

You will find the whole world opens up to you and it’s not by chance. It’s because you know how to arrange your words in a way that speaks at the subconscious mind.

It’s about knowing how to awaken desires within people, to make them want to learn more, and motivate people to move away from their pain.

Credibility doesn’t come from just having knowledge. They say knowledge is power, but it’s actually only potential power. Credibility comes from getting people results.

When people want to succeed, they seek advice from people who get results and who are further along in the journey than themselves. It’s not just about teaching something to people, it’s about your ability to communicate your value so that someone wants to follow you because you get results.

1 – Influential Content Is Conversational And Natural

Influential content needs to be conversational and natural. People want simplicity and they want something they can understand easily.

People are influenced when they trust you. Who do we trust the most? We trust the people closest to us. We trust certain family members, our friends, our partner, our close peers.

If we’re not being our natural selves, our content can sound formal, when we wouldn’t speak that way with our friends or family if we were chatting over a coffee.

When you create content, you need to speak to your clients as though you are speaking to a trusted family member or friend.

We also do this when we get on video. I look back at my first Facebook Live and I cringe! I was so unnatural. It’s not easy to be yourself when you get a camera in front of you.

When things are not natural and they are hard to read, or when you sound like a robot, your readers lose interest quickly and they scroll on by. So you want to write like you’re just sharing to a friend and write in a conversational tone.

That is what makes it influential. We are more influenced by our friends than we are by a marketer online, or by a business person online.  We’re influenced by the people that we trust and the people that are closest to us.

Forget what you learned in English, in terms of things having to be in perfect grammar. When you write as you speak, your writing is going to be more influential and you’re going to be ahead of most people,  so keep it casual.

2 – Influential Content  Speaks To The Subconscious Mind

There was a study done by Harvard, that shows that over 90% of our buying decisions are made by our subconscious mind. When you think about buying, it’s all about influence.

When you buy something, it’s because you’re influenced in some way by the colour, shape, the words or the sound. Something influenced us to buy it. So if you want to influence people,  the most essential business skill you can have is to be able to speak to the unconscious mind.

We do this by understanding the real drivers of human behavior. It’s not logic. It’s connecting with the pain, desires, values, shadow values, beliefs, and things that go beyond our logic.

For example, status is one of the 7 desires that I spoke about in the last training. The need to increase our status by something we buy is a strong driver. People are asking themselves if what they are buying will increase their status.

Other drivers could be the appearance of intelligence, looking smart, appearing powerful, being wealthy, or it could be something altruistic, like doing kind deeds. If you want to influence people, you need to understand these subconscious drivers of human behavior.

When we purchase something, we often aren’t thinking logically. It’s like doing a bungee jump. You don’t think through it as though you are going to get different benefits of it. You don’t think through the pros and cons of doing a bungee jump.

When I decided to do a bungee jump, I wanted to feel the thrill and the freedom of throwing myself off a bridge. I wanted to feel brave and courageous.

It wasn’t a logical decision. It made zero sense to throw myself off a bridge. My Mum was absolutely mortified and said she wouldn’t throw herself off a bridge if someone paid her $500 million!

But yet, I chose to jump, even though it made no logical sense because it actually is not logical.  It was so scary. There were not many benefits. But I was driven to do it.

Influential content speaks to the side of someone that’s driving them, the side where they’ll find the money, they’ll find the way, they’ll find the resources that they need to make it happen.

If I think about the programs that I’ve invested in to teach me with my business, the most expensive one was $17,000.

I had no money at the time and I had 3 credit cards full of debt. I think now that it was such an illogical decision to put myself in another $17,000 worth of debt, but I didn’t think of it like that. I thought of it like an investment into my future.

I’m so glad I wasn’t logical because that was one of the most powerful things I’ve ever invested into. It gave me an NLP certification which absolutely changed my life and the way I think about myself and the world. It gave me a life coaching certification, speaker training certification, and a business certification.

I have seen a massive return on investment because I’ve made way more than $17,000 back from that investment. It was illogical, but it felt right, because the person who sold it to me influenced me, because he pushed on those values. He helped open my future vision of myself to be a successful business owner.

So too,  you can deliver content that goes straight to those core needs. And remember, it’s about emotion, not logic. When you learn to speak to the subconscious, it transforms your content completely.

3 –  Influential Content Speaks Directly To A Person’s Pain And Desires

Influential content speaks directly to a person’s pain and desires and this is how we wake up the emotions. You really need to know your ideal client and speak directly to them.

You can’t expect people to be influenced by your content if you don’t understand them. And you’ve got to speak their language and know specifically what pain areas they have.

What are their fears, frustrations, and struggles in their life right now? Then you need to articulate their pain to them exactly in a way they would say it.

We used to get taught paraphrasing. When you’re having a conversation you do open listening and you paraphrase back to the person what you heard and you repeat it back exactly how they said it. So if someone said they want to get rid of a muffin top, you wouldn’t say, “Oh, so you want to get toned obliques?”

You would repeat back using their exact language.

You’ve got to use your ideal client’s exact language. And to do that, you have to get to know your target market. And you do this by having lots of conversations with your ideal clients. I’ve done hundreds of free sessions with people who are ideal clients so I could learn their language, their pain points, and their desires.

So there you have it, the difference between content that gets you likes, and content that gets you clients.

Want help to grow your business?

Business is too hard to do alone.

If you need help to get more right-fit clients, free up more time and create a profitable, lifestyle-friendly business that you LOVE, I’m offering a free 45-minute next-level business strategy session, where you’ll get clarity and a clear action plan.

I’ll walk you through a roadmap to show you exactly what you need to do and personalise it to suit you. 

Apply now for your free next-level strategy session

 

 

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