Launching a business is harder than growing it to $100k.
That sounds unrealistic, doesn’t it?
I actually believe it’s true.
Since 2016, I’ve helped hundreds of freelancers & consultants launch & grow their businesses at FreelancingFreedom.com, and I’ve been able to observe patterns of behaviour.
Why do some students seem to take flight and thrive in their business, while others struggle to start?
Why would one student tell me they’ve hit their first $15,000 month, while another, with equal access to opportunity and information, tell me they’re just not ready to launch?
They have access to the same information, community, and training. What gives?
I think it boils down to 3 simple things:
- Pain
- Priority
- Belief
Pain – change happens when the pain of inaction is greater than the pain of action. Those who launch and those who fail to, both experience pain but the former can no longer bear the pain of doing nothing, while the latter is experiencing, perhaps, an inconvenient itch, and it’s hardly worth paying that much attention to — at least for now.
Priority – how bad one desires something determines the priority they’ll assign to it to acquire it. Those who launch, grow and thrive in their business prioritized their achievements; otherwise, they wouldn’t have paid the price to get there — time, energy, stress, and risk of failure. Those who have yet to make the leap, although they may desire to start their business, don’t want it enough to make it a priority. In fact, some will never prioritize their business because they aren’t called to be an entrepreneur.
Belief – society, culture, friends and family all play a part in how you’re shaped as an individual, and what a beautiful thing that can be. But the downside is that you’re also shaped by the baggage, the opinions & the opposition of society, culture, friends & family. Achieving greatness, living up to your potential, and pursuing purpose at a high frequency makes you stand out, and standing out is the opposite of blending in, and blending in is encouraged in our society. You don’t want to be different, to be the anomaly, the weird one, right? We’re groomed to blend in because historically, it was the safest choice — if you stand out, you’re a target for the injustice waiting around the corner. So, as a safety mechanism, we learned to believe that staying quiet, staying low, and staying the same was the best choice. When it comes to launching a business, pursuing a higher purpose, and cultivating change in your life, you sometimes must go the opposite direction. Those who take a leap, make a change and pursue a calling, believe they can do it and believe it’s crucial that they do. Those who remain in place or fail to launch, often don’t believe they can succeed or don’t believe in their idea, or direction.
So, if the status quo hurts, change is a priority for you, and you genuinely believe you are meant for something more… you’re on the brink of something important, my friend.
So, why is it harder to launch than it is to grow your business to $100k?
Because you’re new. You’re naked. You’re vulnerable.
When you’re growing your business to that “next level,” you’ve already overcome the nakedness and vulnerability of starting. You have already established a focus, understand your weaknesses, and have a strong foundation built upon your strengths. Growing a business is more about strategy, systems & optimization and less about the mindset of “am I good enough?”
Remember our Coastline Paradox? At each new level of business, you’re merely “zooming in” to reveal more information without getting trapped in detail, and using it to your advantage.
So, right now, ask yourself these questions…
Is the pain of staying the same more significant than the pain of taking action toward starting my business?
Do I desire a change in my life enough to make it a priority, even if it gets hard?
Do I believe that I can actually launch and grow a successful business?
Now, I’m going to challenge you (especially if you said “yes” to all of the above questions) to do something. I’m going to try and get you a client right now.
On Facebook (or your most commonly used Social Media tool of choice), post the following message:
Hey friends, I’m in the early stages of launching my [business type] business, and I’m looking to build up my client list. If you know somebody who needs [type of service/solution], would you mind tagging them in this post, or introduce them to me in a private message? I have 3 available spots for clients who’d like to take advantage of my discounted launch rate. Oh, and there’s $100 in it for anyone who sends me a paying client. Thanks!
Of course, I recommend you modify the message to suit your voice, your service and your audience.
Does this really work? I’m still in disbelief at how effective this little challenge is. I get messages every week from people in various industries & niches who’ve tried this challenge, and to their delight, booked their first paying clients.
I encourage you to do the challenge right now, and I’ll check back on you later today with details about:
- What if it doesn’t work? What next?
- What if it DOES work and now I have to fulfill my obligation to deliver?
Chat later!
Brad
p.s. Comment below & let me know if you’ve tried the challenge, have any questions, or want to share some results!
