6 BUSINESS HACKS YOU NEED TO ACCELERATE YOUR GROWTH

We’re all here for a reason, right? We have goals, we have plans and we have an idea of where we want to be. But when we first start, those goals can seem a long way away. We have our strategies and it’s about treating every day as a chance to make progress. Another step forward. But there are ways to speed that process up. I’ve used them myself, on both my businesses, and trust me, they work. That’s why, with this blog post I want to talk to you about 6 business hacks you need to accelerate your growth.

I’ve been in your position, twice, I mean, really I’m still in your position, learning, refining and growing my skills and my business every day. So I know how much we all have to think about on an hourly basis, let alone a daily one. Because of that, I’ve decided to keep this post as short, and actionable as possible. I want to give you all the details in a way that  means you can apply these tips to your business, starting right now. Because the sooner you start using them, the faster you’ll notice a difference in your business. Which sounds pretty good, right? Anyway, let’s crack on…

 

#1: CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT, CONSISTENT

Now this is something I talk about a lot. (Consistently, you could say!) But there’s a reason. It’s absolutely key to building that know, like, trust factor with your audience. And it’s about more than just a logo. It’s everything, across every touchpoint. You have to be there, with your message, looking consistent, every single day.

So how can you apply that? Well, it could be having a feature on certain days, or releasing a blog each week, or posting every day at the same time. The time that works best for when your audience are online and engaging with you. Most importantly it’s about sticking to your message. Your brand’s message. Getting that across is what it’s all about.

It sounds easy. But it takes commitment and dedication. You can’t have off days. You have to show up so you stand out for your audience. You have to back yourself and your ideas, and stick to your guns. If you do that, you’ll have a plan to work to every time you’re putting something out there, and on top of that, you’ll start to build that trust with your audience.

#2: ONE MONTH AT A TIME

I’m sure we’ve all been there, at the start of the year, or before we launch we try to plan our whole year. But how often do we stick to that? I’m guessing never. Why? Because things can change quickly. I mean overnight. So we have to be flexible in our approach. We have to be able to adapt. Roll with the punches and land our feet.

Set yourself monthly goals and focus on smashing them out of the park. Make them challenging but still attainable, and you’ll hit them. I know it. Monthly goals and plans keep me focussed, efficient and motivated to do more, and achieve more. Why? Because when you’re hitting them on a regular basis, you can raise the bar. I remember when I started my first business, Betty Lou Design the goal at launch was to earn enough to supplement my 9-5. It quickly became to earn enough regularly enough to leave my 9-5 (I did that in 8 months) and not long after that it jumped again.

I keep saying you that I’ve been where you are, and there’s a reason for it. Your only limit is you, and only you can take the action to make things happen.

 

#3: TIMEBLOCK YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

One thing you should always, ALWAYS value is your time. At the end of the day it’s what your clients are paying for. The time you spend on bringing ideas to life, or crafting your products, transforming their business or understanding how you can help them. The time and energy you invest on your work is crucial to making your business successful. You have to bring it for every client, and you have to make sure you deliver the finished result to your consistent standard to meet their deadlines. If you do that you, and your brand, will become a trusted provider. And that’s when you’ll get those all-important return clients.

So how do you manage your time? Well, personally, when I first started I thought time not spent working on projects was time wasted. But let me tell you, the busier I got, the more timeblocking became an essential part of my routine. You can’t do everything at once. Don’t be a magpie. You’ll spread yourself too thin, get overwhelmed and not give anyone the time they deserve – especially yourself. That’s right, you need to build in time for you too. Self care and breaks are key to maintaining motivation and inspiration. Sitting in front of a computer for 17 hours a day is not. It’s not helpful, and it’s certainly not productive.

So timeblock your days, and your weeks and work out what you need to achieve in each block. Then, you’ll have lots of mini-goals to tick off EVERY DAY, keeping you motivated and building momentum towards where you want to be.

#4: WHAT ARE YOU OFFERING?

This sounds like a pretty simple question, but when was the last time you sat back and asked yourself what are you offering? If you look at your services and you’re trying to do too much, your potential customers will be put off. They won’t know what you do, or what they’re going to get, and you’ll lose them before you can hook them in.

One of the things I find really works for my clients is having tiers of offers. I split them by investment, which gives everyone access to the full range of services that I’m an expert in. That keeps things simple. Potential clients land on my site with their budget in mind. They see what I offer and how much they will need to invest, then they can choose from either the high-level, mid-level or low-level option, whichever one works best for them.

The great thing about tiering your services is the fact that you can adapt your strategy around them. You can build them into your monthly goals. For example, maybe you want to earn a specific amount each month. By looking at your tiers you can work out that your monthly goal should be to sell 1 high level package, 5 mid level packages and 10 low level packages. That gives you a really simple, actionable and flexible plan to action. If you’re struggling with one, you can focus your social content around pushing it. And if, for example you sell 3 high level packages, that’s only one every 10 days, then you’ll be well on your way to smashing your monthly goal out of the park. That sounds good, right?

 

 

#5: LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS

Now, most of the hacks in this blog are easily actionable by you. You can do them yourself on a daily basis, but this one is a little bit different. It relies on you being in the position, or having the capital to invest in a business coach. But, honestly, if you want to accelerate the growth of your business fast, I would say it’s essential.

Working with a coach had a massive impact on me as a person, an entrepreneur and of course, my businesses. It was a real turning point for me, and I wouldn’t be where I am now if I hadn’t invested in myself and my business in that way. So if you can do it, do it. Listen to the advice, put the strategies into action, and trust what they have to say. You won’t regret it, and your business will take off in no time.

My coaching journey also inspired me to make the leap myself. I’d been giving strategic advice to a lot of my branding clients, and I realised that I wanted to help more people in the same way. That’s why I launched B by Nicki at the start of 2019, and made business coaching one of my key services, alongside brand styling.

#6: LET’S GET VISIBLE, VISIBLE

This is a big one. And the more I work with amazing female entrepreneurs the more I realise that although it’s a simple one to action, it’s also the thing that a lot of people struggle with the most. Why? Because when you first start it can be scary. I mean, I’ve been there, I had an awful, AWFUL nervous blink when I first started being more visible on Facebook Lives or Instagram Stories. But now, now I’ve found my groove, I feel confident and it’s become a part of my routine.

But why is it so important? Well, the fact is, the more you get in front of your clients, the faster you’ll grow. You don’t have to sell to them all the time either. What you have to do is add value. Add value to their lives (their real ones not their Facebook Lives) and their businesses. Think about their pain points and tailor your posts to solve them, or at least offer your opinion on them. Do that, and you’ll position yourself as an expert. That’s where you want to be. Why? Because that’s when you hit the trust spike of the know, like, trust factor. That’s also when you start to be the ‘go to’ person in that niche. And when you carve that reputation, word of mouth will spread and your orders will go up. Guaranteed.

So don’t worry about what people might think. Embrace the fear. Plan what you want to chat about and just go for it. You might not get it right first time, but you know what, if anything does go a bit wrong, you’re just showing you’re human. And trust me, there’s way more chance of people relating to you being you, mistakes and all, than there is of them engaging with someone reading a script who sounds like a robot. Remember, you’re only limit is you, so what are you waiting for?

Boooom. That’s it. My top 6 business hacks to accelerate your growth. I hope you found this post useful, and I hope that you can put some of these tips into action to reap the rewards. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution in business so you may find some more effective than others. And some may work better at different points of your journey, but honestly, I’ve used them all, and they’ve made a massive impact on both of my businesses. Fingers crossed they do the same for you and give you the platform for your business to take off!

Nicki x

 

P.S. If you have any other business hacks please let me know, I always love to hear what works for other female entrepreneurs.

P.P.S It’s not always hacks, but if you want to be part of a community of like-minded female entrepreneurs, my free Facebook group The B Studio will be right up your street. You can check out it out right here >>>>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/2202999876394402/