Can’t you just google it?
It all begins with an idea.
You need to market your business. Sounds obvious right?
But if you’re a wellbeing founder in a service-led industry, you probably didn’t start your business because you were passionate about marketing.
You started because you’re deeply invested in your area of holistic health. You went on a journey to learn how to help people through your chosen modality.
Fast forward a few years (and a steep learning curve), and you have your own business doing what you love.
But wait, there’s a catch, a big one at that.
No one mentioned you need to be a marketing expert too, and your “just google it” approach has you feeling like you need a PhD in business just to write your Instagram bio.
Here’s the truth: marketing is a big part of running a business. That’s not going away. But what if, instead of resisting it, you reframed it?
A fresh way to think about marketing:
Surrender to the reality that marketing is part of your work
Reframe ‘marketing’ as simply talking about what you love
When you shift your mindset from “marketing your business” to “sharing why you love what you do,” it feels easier.
The first step toward this is to reflect on why you do what you do and the impact you facilitate.
Tap into your why with these prompts:
What inspired you to train in your area of expertise?
What inspired you to start your own business?
What areas of your work could you talk about all day every day?
What client transformations have deeply inspired you? And why?
What would your best customers say they’ve gained from working with you?
How can you challenge the status quo of your industry?
Asking questions like this helps you tap into the parts of your business that really light you up, that kind of passion is magnetic.
The cool thing is that you can choose to build your brand around this stuff. Laying the foundations for a business that feels positive to you and connects with your customers - both of which are fundamental to growh
Give it a try and let me know what you come up with.
And if you need more support, my live 1:1 brand strategy program ‘Find Your Orbit’ will be launching in June with just 2 spots available. And if you are signed up to the waitlist, you get first dibs with a juicy discount.
Vicky x
Comparison is the thief of your ideas
It all begins with an idea.
I spoke with a friend and fellow founder who is in the wellbeing space on Thursday. I wanted to ask her some questions that would help me sharpen my messaging.
She talked about how she has lots of ideas for things to say about what she does but doesn’t always get as far as putting them out there (I think many of us share this same problem).
The thing that stops her is not wanting to add to the noise online, particularly on social media.
And I can relate.
Our social feeds tend to be filled with the noise of other people offering similar services to us, which can be so distracting. Especially if they are further along in their journey to us.
We worry someone else has said the same thing, maybe differently, maybe even better.
So we hesitate and don’t say anything at all.
What I believe is that as long as you are speaking from your own truth and perspective who’s to say your point of view on your work is any less important or valid than the next person?
In the grand scheme life we’re all making it up as we go along anyway!
I also believe that as much as marketing does call for an understanding of what other businesses are doing, so you can find a way to position yourself differently, once you’ve done that work it’s important to switch off the external influence of and comparison to others, so you can focus inward on your own ideas, thoughts and opinions.
This starts with muting or unfollowing anyone on your social feed who, when you see their content, makes you feel negatively about your own work. You could do the same with your email subscriptions.
The next step is to tune into your own perspective.
One simple way to do this is to write morning pages.
I am not suggesting anything new or revolutionary here. But I think that is the point sometimes - the best ideas are often the simplest.
Everything you write, no matter how good or bad, flexes your writing muscle.
And marketing requires a lot of writing, so if you haven’t already got a regular writing practice, this is a great way to start one.
If you are new to morning pages, it is simply free-writing done in the morning. Some call it automatic writing or stream of consciousness writing.
Here's how to do it:
Put pen to paper and just write whatever comes to mind.
If all you can think of is to write what you had for breakfast, write that, then write the next thing that comes to mind and then the next. You will eventually find your flow. It takes practice, but you will do it.
Don’t worry about erratically changing subject, you could be writing about how someone or something has annoyed you one minute then talking about how much you love your dog the next.
It doesn’t matter.
This is about getting your mind out of perfection and craft and into a more subconscious, meditative style of writing.
How much to write
If you’ve ever done morning pages you will probably have seen the recommendation to write three sides of A4 a day.
As a relatively new mum this was / is a challenge for me. And I can be a bit of an all or nothing person so lowering my expectations has been key to actually doing it.
You know your situation best so I would say aim for one to three sides of A4 a day and if some days you only do a side of A5 then so be it.
Don’t beat yourself up, just start again the next day.
When to write
Arguably the best time is in the morning when you have just woken up, before the day has a chance to bring you too far out of your subconscious. Treat this as the ideal.
If you have the option to wake earlier than the rest of your house do so.
But if on some, most or all days you don’t have that choice, just work out when you can write and do it then.
For me, this blog post was the bi product of one of those days I was able to wake up earlier than my toddler and write my morning pages.
Maybe it’s not my most profound piece of work, maybe someone else has said it better, but I’m on a mission to not give a f*ck! So posted it anyway.
I challenge you to channel a bit of that f*ck it energy and do the same.
Let me know how you get on.
Vicky X
Blog Post Title Three
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.