Tag Archive for: business coach

The most powerful thing you’re not doing for your business

Why is something so seemingly simple – believing in yourself – the most difficult for most of us?

Because we live in a world where we’re told we’re not special. We’re taught to be humble, to be appreciative of others and value ourselves for what we’ve done, not what we’re destined to do.

These lessons can hinder our ability to truly tap into our potential and instead live life avoiding the limelight, in fear we’ll be seen as selfish or boastful.

I don’t exactly know where the line is between being too proud and being proud enough, but most of us never get close to it.

We don’t give ourselves the chance to celebrate our own successes.

And because of it, we don’t believe in ourselves enough.

Think about it. Every day we tell ourselves what we do and don’t deserve.

  • Staying in a job you hate because you’re not sure you can hack it as an entrepreneur.
  • Feeling bad about taking time to do something for yourself, instead of only devoting time to your family. It’s not really that big of a deal to take a shower instead of that bath you’ve been dreaming of for weeks. It can wait, right?
  • Wearing cheap shoes to avoid judgment from people in your life who knew you before your income increased.

These are ways we show we’re uncomfortable with earning, with our potential and ourselves.

It’s really fucking hard to do well in business when you carry these negative beliefs. If you don’t believe you’re special – that you can do something no one else can – why the hell would anyone want to do business with you?

So let’s get comfortable with success and dreams.

Once you do, you’ll be amazed at what you’re capable of reaching in your career and your personal life.

Start by making a list of times you were stronger than you imagined you could be. On the same page, write when you were more successful than you ever dreamed. When did you reach your goals?

Next, write two times you failed, and then picked your sweet ass up and carried on. Detail the biggest compliment you’ve ever received. What three skills are you most proud of?

On a second sheet of paper, write every self-doubt you have.

Once you’re done, hang the positive moments somewhere you will see them daily.

Read them. Every. Damn. Day.

And burn the shit out of the page with all the negative beliefs. No, really. Burn it.

Release your fears, your sadness, your insecurities and self-doubt. Giving yourself permission to rid yourself of negativity will set you free to focus on what you’re doing well.

And when you know what you’re worth, so will your clients.

Ch-ch-ch-changes and why you should ALWAYS go with your gut

You know that feeling in your gut I always tell you to listen to no matter how unpopular the response? The whomp that wakes you up at night, leaving you sweaty and out of breath?

As entrepreneurs, opinions abound on how we should run our businesses. They come from family, industry leaders, clients and – most importantly – ourselves.

Yet it’s not popular for us to listen to our thoughts. We’re quite adept at ignoring our needs in favor of everyone else’s. Too good.

If there’s one thing you’ve learned from me over the years, I hope it’s that you must always, always, ALWAYS be who you are.

“But,” the naysayers cry, “if we want to be successful, shouldn’t we listen to our clients first?”

Hell no.

We’ll never make everyone happy.

Ever. No matter how hard you and I bust our asses, people will not be satisfied. Concerned friends will crop up. The dreaded “competition” will rear its head.

They’ll whisper: “What the hell is she doing?”

(For the record, it’s good to keep ’em guessing. Mystique and all that.)

Sometimes even the most successful people get overwhelmed by what they think they should be doing, rather than listening to their gut. So many people rely on us as entrepreneurs – employees, suppliers, assistants, clients, kids and spouses – to name a few.

This is why the coaching field is wildly popular. A nice kick in the ass to keep us on track works wonders. It’s what I’ve been doing for years with writers.

During my time with them and through building my business, I also learned how to use social media to bring in badass clients. I wrote my own copy, mastered social media, done the invoicing, contracts, scheduling, follow ups, and on and on. I built this place from the ground up.

mantra12iphoneFunny, it didn’t dawn on me until a few weeks ago that I am an entrepreneur too.

So when the idea hit me – holy fuck, I can show entrepreneurs how to build their own successful businesses – I tossed it into the pile of later to-dos.

I kept my focus where it had been for as long as RebeccaTDickson.com existed: on writers. I played with coaching entrepreneurs, hosting hour-long sessions on the down-low. Because if anyone knew I was doing this, I could lose everything I worked so hard to build.

But you know…

That damn pang in the gut does not go away. It demands to be given audience no matter how hard we ignore, deflect, even run.

My new entrepreneur clients got results F A S T. The kind they wanted, needed, craved. And that sat with me during my writing client calls. It ate dinner with me. It even kept me awake at night.

How could I possibly leave writer coaching when I was so successful?

Unsurprisingly, the answer was as simple as the shit I’ve been preaching to you forever:

Sometimes doing what’s right isn’t what’s popular.

More often than not, doing what’s good for you will not please everyone. So the hell with it.

Sound the trumpets. Here’s a big, fat, hairy announcement:

From now until the next gut-achingly induced change, I show business owners and coaches how the hell to build a life for themselves. I help them find clarity, clients and cash. A schedule they can live with. The kind of mindset that helps you attract the right clients and the money. And perpetual fucking giddiness, the kind of happy that only comes from doing what you love on your own terms.

I’m showing them the tools and the path. And I’m doing it without apologizing.

What this means

Rebecca T. Dickson is a business coach who ALSO helps entrepreneurs pen the books with which they want to build their platforms. In short, I’ll show you how to build your biz from the ground up, how to make money and I’ll edit the shit out of anything you need polished before it goes public.

I’m done with everything else.

Is it scary kicking paying customers to the curb? Fuck yeah.

Is it terrifying to have spent tens of thousands of dollars on a website redesign and new packages and courses, all of which I am now abandoning? Yep.

What will people think? Whatever they want.

This is about me. What lights me up, makes me leap out of bed in the morning and dance because I’m so excited about doing work I love.

Because when we do what we love, we are passionate. And passion means our clients benefit in ways you can’t imagine. We naturally over-deliver. The people we serve get twice the value.

Soooooooo, while I’m going to miss the hella awesome clients I’ve had for years, I’m not sad about switching gears for two reasons.

First, I only want to do what I am passionate about. It’s how I best serve people. And second, if I did my job right, they should be able to fly on their own.

So I’m not sorry to leave them…

Because they don’t need me anymore.

• • •

If you want to see the next version of RebeccaTDickson.com and all the business badassery, be sure to get on this list. In the coming weeks, this site will be overhauled. New offerings, new images, new ways to work with me. I can’t wait to help you! xo