Discovering and opening a big block

One of the biggest impact accomplishments from 2020 was increasing my strategic coaching engagements, what I refer to as “Tactical Guidance.” The reason it was such a big deal, even though it only accounted for about 30% of my revenue prior to 2021, was the mindset shift it created. And I’m still shifting.

My entire career has been job after job after job being hired for my creative skills. My training was in commercial art, graphics and design as well as new media and website design. My first gig out of art school was at a typography house in Pittsburgh where I sat at a big box computer and set type 70 hours a week. I was young, had the energy, no social life, and just wanted to work. And I got good. Really good. That job evolved into others where I continued to expand and use my skills and gained a variety of experience in different settings.

“Time for money is not scalable, especially as a one-person business owner.”

Fast forward to 2006 when I went to work for myself, I stuck with what worked: a freelancer, essentially building websites, writing copy, designing brands, collateral and sales material for anyone who would come along and hire me by the hour.

So I faced a choice as the years started flipping by: remain a time-for-money freelancer and incrementally increase my hourly rate over time or hire a team and take on more work.

That didn’t sit well with me. I did not want to manage an agency style team nor did I want to be removed from the hands-on work because I enjoyed it.

And believe me, I could only command so much for the work I did, as it was in a saturated field where you could get a website built for a hundred bucks.

About five years ago, I began offering packages that included creative asset deliverables that hinged on a thorough strategic plan, which I was finding NONE of my new clients ever had when they came to work with me. This was one of the smartest things I did in my business because it helped me raise my prices and get out of the time for money model. Granted, I was still working at an hourly rate, but the strategic plans and implementation of the creative assets (brand, site, lead generation and sales materials) were sold as a package at a flat rate based on the deliverables.

Pretty smart, right?

Yes, and I still offer that today, however, I want to take it to the next level and create even more scale for myself. Why? Because I’m getting tired! Plus, I’m not distinguishing as a product and selling the business-changing impacts that my coaching and strategic guidance brings. Time to change that!

So last year I tested the waters to see how well I could do with strictly strategic guidance and implementation SUPPORT. Big difference between me being the “freelancer” to make things versus the “guide” to support my client and their implementation of what is in the strategy.

Now this may all sound fine to you, but here’s the big mindset challenge I had: I have always been paid for making something. I have never been paid for my opinion, coaching, experience, wisdom or guidance. And, ironically, I still delivered that value with the tangible assets, but I never distinguished it or validated its value by associating a product or price with it.

Boom.

What that left me with was a real block to offering my strategic guidance as a standalone product. I devalued my knowledge and intuitive guidance that was always spot-on at helping my clients gain clarity, confidence and cash. After identifying the block, bringing it out into the light, the only thing to do was to push myself into the discomfort of offering my guidance-only—no implementation. Gulp.

In 2020, I did, and people said yes.

Even though I was totally undercharging for this guidance—especially when I saw the results my clients were getting in revenue after implementing my guidance—I got coaching clients.

This was the accomplishment from last year that drove the biggest impact for me. As I reviewed all of my accomplishments, this is the one that had the most emotional charge to it, and now you know why.

What’s in store for 2021…

More of my strategic planning and implementation support engagements. And higher fees. Especially when I see my clients revenue go up exponentially after working with me, it’s time to recognize my value and position what I do strategically as my magic.

What’s your block?

What is keeping you from living and expressing your highest value—your 1000%? Let your energy flow and step into more of your 1000%. Share your opening below.🍀