90% of online businesses fail in the first 120 days.
After 14+ years online, I can't even remember how many businesses I've seen shut down too soon.
People with great ideas don't always make it in business.
Because they don't continue pushing when they don't see results fast enough.
Addiction to instant gratification is real.
Technology killed our ability to be patient. You can read a book or watch a movie with a single click, available on demand. You don't have to cook, one click in an app and your dinner is at the door.
Our expectations of the speed in which we should get results has become unrealistic.
And in business, there is hardly ever any instant success.
All the overnight successes you see are a result of many years of hard work. You need to put in the work to have their results.
Or, some of those overnight successes are overnight “fake it till you make it” businesses. If you're comparing your (lack of) success stop right now. I know plenty of businesses who brag about making 7 figures a year… a year later I would see them in a private online group celebrating their first long term client. Doesn't add up, does it?
Feeling unfocused when there are no results is as common as flees on a dog beach
Not being able to focus and execute on your goals has a hefty price tag. You never get to the desired result – freedom to do what we want, when we want it, anywhere in the world.
Does your heart bleed every time you think of going back to 9-5?
It's painful when people don't recognize your expertise?
If you said yes, we are going to ditch the idea that you can't focus.
Inability to focus is an idea in your head, not a real problem, and it's easy to solve.
Take control
First thing you need to know is that you are in full control of everything. Your focus, your business, your decisions. It's all in your hands.
Turn off the outside and know that success is up to you.
Define the goal
First thing you have to do is define your goal and the results.
So many of my clients tell me they already did this when we start working together. They are sure they got this figured out. But they didn't.
Your goals must be precise.
Your 5 year goal should not be “I want to be wealthy and have my own business”. You must be like a laser – “In 5 years my sports psychology business is making $100k a month”.
If this sounds so out of the realm of possibility for you, there are two things to do.
First, work on your money mindset. There are plenty of expert businesses who make way more than that – this is your proof it's doable. But if you don't believe it, it won't happen. Work through your money blocks. I recommend the book “Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!” by Denise Duffield-Thomas.
This does NOT mean don't start until you work on the mindset blocks, though.
The second part of this is creating a smaller goal that seems more doable to you. Work towards that goal while working through your money stuff.
You can start with “I am making $10k a month working with 5 athletes per month, in one-on-one capacity”. If $10k scares you a little, it's a good number. Pick a number that scares you a bit but doesn't freak you out.
Now that you have a clear goal, embed it into your mind. Write that sentence down into your journal every morning and every evening.
Put it on a post it note and stick it on your computer screen. Make it into your phone screen wallpaper.
You should never lose sight of that goal. If you lose sight of it, and don't take even the smallest action towards it every day, you will let it go.
Mindset
We have to go even deeper into the mindset because this lack of focus is more of a mindset issue than to-do list issue. (Don't skip to the practical steps right away!)
Change perspective!
What if instead of “I have to hit this result” you turn it around into “I want to be the person that achieves this result”.
Start acting as the person you would need to be to achieve the results you set for yourself.
If I know that a CEO does the hard tasks first thing in the morning, I can't watch Netflix for the first 7 hours of my day. I need to step into the role of CEO before I become one.
Visualize & Feel
The key to getting a result is visualizing getting it. Instead of just thinking how it would look when you do (more money) try to imagine how it would feel.
- How would it feel if you didn't have to go to a 9-5.
- How would it feel if you had money to travel as much as you want.
- How would it feel to work with clients that appreciate you.
- How would it feel to be compensated for your work as the expert you are.
Don't think hard on this, let your body feel how awesome it would be. Sit with those feelings for a few minutes. Those feelings are going to keep you going.
Your goal is to travel and stay in luxury hotels. Your current finances don't allow it. Go to a luxury hotel near by and have coffee in their bar. Feel the life you want to have!
Your business is not you
Separate yourself from your business.
Separate your self worth from the results in your business. If your business isn't making money yet, it doesn't mean you're not good at what you do. It may mean you didn't put enough content out there. Or you didn't learn something about sales yet.
Treat your business as a completely different person that needs you to survive. I may not feel like having a sales call today, but for my business to survive, I will show up and do it. Ask yourself “What does my business need from me today” and do it.
This is something that will change over time and you will be able to take time off when you don't “feel like working”. In the first couple of years, if you want to get to your goals, do what your business needs you to do.
Forget about building habits. If you want something badly, the habits will form automatically.
— Daniel Vassallo (@dvassallo) December 13, 2022
There are things in business that are uncomfortable but have to be done. If you can't outsource it, suck it up and do it. Sandwich it between things you like doing, like coffee with a friend before work, and a manicure after. Reward yourself when you need to.
Gratefulness
Celebrate small wins no matter how small they are. Instead of crying over the fact that your competitor has 10,000 followers, celebrate every new follower you get.
Let's move to the practical, for those who are dying to take action
Break down big tasks into smaller ones
Look at the big picture of your goal. What small steps do I take to reach it?
Split the big goal into smaller steps.
Set milestones for each step.
This will give you visible progress. You can even set small rewards at the end of each milestone.
Split harder tasks into focused partial work. Let's say you're trying to create a masterclass with 3 videos and 5 worksheets. You know this will take you 12 hours of active work. Don't do it in 2 days, 6 hours each. Split it over the 2 week period of time. Your work will be easier and the results will be better.
The easiest way to get a lot done is to focus on getting a tiny amount done.
— Alex Mathers (@Alexmathers84) August 25, 2022
Be selective with learning
When you're looking at the next milestone, figure out what you need to know to be able to hit the goal.
Is it something new you have to learn? Pick the bare minimum of that skill, learn it and apply to your goal immediately. Or outsource it to an expert. This way you won't waste time learning things you don't need to move you forward immediately.
Never-ending learning is productivity masturbation. It makes you mistake learning with making progress while none of the work is getting done.
Big actions, big results
When you have all planned and ready, it's time for daily actions.
Work on the biggest needle movers first. There are hundreds of things you “could be doing”. But only a few will propel you forward. Only a few are not a form of procrastination and staying busy for the sake of staying busy.
Set a non-negotiable daily list you must complete. This list will have only 3 tasks for the day.
Connect those tasks to the bigger picture.
I make sure those three non-negotiables are always connected to my biggest 90 day goals.
Here is how I put it in practice. If my 90 day goal is to sig up 20 clients to my new group program, I know that I need to get people on the sales page (or a sales call). I break it down to actions that I need to take to make it happen. I know “choosing brand colors” is not going to be a part of this, so this task goes to the back of the list. I know that getting on my friend's popular podcast is the way to go so I do what's necessary to make it happen. Prepare what I will talk about on the podcast, create a landing page for people to sign up while they are listening, etc.
Group tasks
There are always going to be things you feel like doing in business (seeing the payment notifications, anyone) and those you don't.
Group tasks, especially those you dislike, to work on when you're feeling disciplined. Get them over with!
Finish tasks
Not finishing stuff you planned has a bigger problem than those things not getting done.
There are two things that happen that will derail you.
First, you leave an open loop, meaning your mind won't stop thinking about the thing you didn't complete. Which means you will be able to focus even less than before.
Second, it's a huge hit on your confidence. And confidence is one thing you must have to succeed in online expert based business. You take a hit because you lied to yourself. You said you will do something and you didn't. Your subconscious will have a field day with it: “I knew you could not do it”, “You didn't do it because you suck”, and so on.
Rejection
Just because someone didn't buy your offer after you posted it several times – doesn't mean they are rejecting YOU. There are so many reasons why people don't buy and almost all have nothing to do with you.
You will realize fast that even when you post your offer multiple times people might not see it. They may not be interested this time. They may have forgotten they opened your link in a tab that got lost in a sea of other tabs.
It's not personal.
So to digest it all, here is how you stay focused even if you're not seeing the results in your business:
- Take control
- Define the big goal
- Embed the big goal into your mind and everyday life
- Change perspective about the goal
- Visualize and feel success in your body
- Separate your self worth from your business
- Be grateful
- Break everything down into small steps
- Connect daily action to the big goal
- Give yourself more time
- Limit learning
- Choose action that moves the needle first
- Group tasks
- Finish what you started
- Don't take it personally
This isn't for the weak minded
Being a solopreneur is not easy.
But it's rewarding!
Making money from your expertise and experience is one of the simplest ways to buy the life you desire.
And the only way to do it is to focus on what you're trying to achieve.
You have a full blueprint of how to stay focused on your goal in business.
This is how I focus even when things are not going well. How I stay on course because I have a bigger goal.
I am not a part of the statistic from the first sentence. Because I applied everything I am teaching you here.
The only thing left is for you to decide if you really want it.
