Simple & Creative Tips For Planning A Profitable Year

Women solopreneurs—healers, coaches, consultants, strategists—love the idea of “having a plan,” but they often struggle with where to begin and how to create one.

In planning ALL of the many details of marketing different programs, attending events, having personal time, and so on throughout the year, it can leave your head spinning. The planning process can feel overwhelming and once you have your plan together, you’re often left wondering, “What do I do FIRST?”

As a creative solopreneur—business coach, branding expert, designer, marketing mentor, niche specialist—myself, I’ve learned how to listen to my creative instincts, intuition and use my connection back to Spirit as guidance for my next ‘practical’ steps and use this to design a plan that will ensure I meet my financial, personal and professional goals.

The results of my process has significantly contributed to my going from feeling frustrated with what steps are the RIGHT ones to grow my practice to having the tools, methods, and strategies in place to enroll clients, create top-level programs, and have plenty of time for my other priorities and passions.

Here’s the thing…and you’re going to love this. I like the make things as simple as possible, so when putting my income plan for the year, I don’t use extensive spreadsheets or graphs. I just get clear on what I want to create and calendar out the steps.

Here are a few simple tips you can borrow from my planning process, which is designed to help creative (“I offer a lot!”) people to create a clear, uncomplicated version of an income plan.

Tip #1 Include Both Your ‘Wisdom’ and ‘Acquired Intelligence’ In the Planning Process

Do you want to know the true ‘secret’ to growing your practice? I’ll tell you. It’s using and properly directing your in-born gift in listening to your natural spirit-led ideas, creativity and inspiration, with that of your expertise and continual ‘take-action’ implementation of practical business techniques.

One of the first tips that I recommend is listing all of the things you want to accomplish in the year, determine their time table for planning and implementing them and assign these things to a simple calendar. You’ll quickly see if you’ve already overbooked yourself, even before getting started in the year!

Tip #2 Set Your Income Goal for the Year from BIG to Bite Size

When I work with clients starting their business or re-launching their business with a new area of expertise or for a new niche, we usually look at their overall profit plan for the year and what this plan includes.

We then take it one purposeful, well-planned goal at a time and bite size their steps down, so they know what they’re doing first and next and continually achieving their set goals along the way. No overwhelm. No guessing.

And the process leaves them feeling empowered and in control.

This process would be really helpful for you too as a coach, consultant and healer. Plan your overall profit goals and how you’d like to create that and then bite size the process down and what’s the easiest and most effective for you to begin and then scheduled that out.

Once you have your proposed number (what you want to make in the year), you’re ready to plan the events, activities, joint ventures and programs that will produce those results.

Tip #3 Design Your Plan Around Your OWN Creative Calling (not someone else’s)

Let’s face it, for most women solopreneurs, they’re led by the desire to first and foremost listen to their calling—inner guidance, inspiration, creativity—to make a difference through their work.

And to do this and truly be able to help greater numbers of people and have the joy-filled life they desire and are meant to have, they need to create income. And there’s good news. It’s actually simple to create the income that you desire when you have the right steps and methods in place.

So, what is it that you’re feeling called to do? Is it to help people improve their online presence, find their ideal relationship, lose weight and find the best food for their body type, or is it to empower women to go after what they want?

For example: A little over a year ago, my inner guidance directed me to focus my work on helping women create authentic, confident, financially abundant and spiritually-fulfilling service-centered businesses they desire. Although I did not know HOW exactly this was going to manifest, I listened to this voice of wisdom and I trained with and implemented steps and strategies taught by 6-figure and 7-figure women mentors. And through this journey, I created and filled successful high-level programs that help women in the fields of coaching, consulting, and in the healing arts to quickly attract clients and fill their practice.

Zero in what your life is calling you to create and create your plan. Don’t get yourself sidetracked with what others are doing because it’s not always going to lead you to what you’re uniquely here to do.

Bonus Tip: Keep It SIMPLE and Remember Your Plan is Not Set in Stone

Your plan is a wonderful guide to know what you desire to create first and next and what opportunities that you plan to have during the year. Let your intuition be your guide and ‘course correct’ along the way. And most importantly, enjoy this process!

NOTE: If you’re a woman in the healing arts, a coach, or service-centered consultant/strategist—whether you’re starting new or re-inventing your business for a new niche—and you desire a clear path to greater income and impact in the New Year, I highly recommend getting a jumpstart in one of many Virtual VIP Intensive Training Days. Click here for details and to set up a complimentary 20-minute call to find the right personalized training for you to quickly jumpstart a highly profitable business!

What Is The Breakthrough YOU Are Committed To Making In the New Year?

If you would like to use this article on your blog or website, feel free as long as you include the following author information:

Known for her creativity, gentle disposition, enthusiasm, and passion, Lisa Hromada is a leading Personal Branding Strategist and Money, Marketing, & Soul Coach who specializes in empowering women entrepreneurs to find the clarity and focus they need to create a thriving brand while still having the time and energy to enjoy their other priorities. Find Lisa's FREE gifts and more at: http://www.lisahromada.com/bizsuccess

3 Simple Steps to Make Your Programs Compelling to Clients

The challenge that many entrepreneurs have is they have a lot to offer their clients—sometimes it seems like too much—and it can feel overwhelming. You want to give your clients everything, but you're just not sure how to offer it.

One of best strategies to organizing your services, so you're not overwhelmed is to create programs and packages.

To make your programs compelling to clients and something they'll invest in, you need to have a practical, easy-to-describe end result your services help your clients achieve.

For example, the unique system that I take clients through is designed to help them create a detailed plan of action to attract their ideal clients, increase how much they make and keep each month, and really to have that passion-filled, authentically led business they desire and that supports their ideal lifestyle.

That’s the CORE of everything I do. It's the catalyst for all of my other spinoff programs and services.

Here is a simple 3 step formula to help you make your programs compelling to clients.

Step #1 Systemizing Your Services

The first point that I want to mention here is that I often see entrepreneurs making the mistake of working on a call to call or service to service basis.

What I want to encourage you to do instead that is going to make your services more valuable and truly irresistible to clients is you want to create programs and packages that are specifically created to last a certain period of time to achieve a specific outcome and have clearly defined steps to achieve this.

You have to remember that “clients are not investing in your time or the amount of time that they spend with you; they are investing in the RESULTS or outcomes that your program or service provides.”

So, imagine that rather than offer a month to month coaching or consulting service that is open-ended, you create a 3-month or 6-month program that includes certain features to help your clients get specific results.

Step #2 Focus on results, goals, and outcomes

You want to focus on what your program or service is going to allow them to do or have upon completion.

One of the #1 mistakes that I see entrepreneurs making, is they feature the structure of their programs, more than what their clients will actually accomplish.

So using my own branding and coaching practice as an example here. Let's assume that I was describing a new program to a client and said, “I've got this new program that I think would be a great fit for you; you're going to get 2 calls a month, worksheets, a half-day training, email access to me, special topic sessions,...” and so on.

Notice how that doesn't give you much information on what you actually get.

What you really want to know is if upon working together, you'll attract more clients and streamline your business where you're making more money without having to be working all of the time like you are now. (btw, the answer is YES)

Step #3 Determine What You're Actually Going to Do with Your Clients

One of the elements of the most successful businesses is that they are KNOWN for something and they have system set in place.

And when you have a system, there are limitless possibilities to creating multiple income streams in your business, without having to spend multiple hours creating new things all over again, and your clients always get guaranteed results from working with you.

So, for example, I'll use a client of mine who is a Business & Success Coach. Her program is a 5-step system for creating a marketing plan that consistently attracts clients, and the thing is that people love is that she has a 5-step system that they will go through, guaranteed to provide them with their desired outcome.

So, what we did was we created the outline for her entire curriculum and explored ALL of the outcomes she provides and wrote those up in ways that she can use as compelling marketing copy and we began packaging her offers using this ONE system and preparing her to market and enroll clients.

So, once you've systemized your services into a curriculum that lead your clients to their desired results, you're ready to move to packaging this curriculum into programs and offers.

Have fun!

Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved

If you would like to use this article on your blog or website, feel free as long as you include the following author information:

Known for her creativity, gentle disposition, enthusiasm, and passion, Lisa Hromada is a leading Personal Branding Strategist and Money, Marketing, & Soul Coach who specializes in empowering women entrepreneurs to find the clarity and focus they need to create a thriving brand while still having the time and energy to enjoy their other priorities. Find Lisa's FREE gifts and more at: http://www.lisahromada.com/bizsuccess

3 Ways to Grow Your Business in 30 Days

Entrepreneurs, like many people, get used to creating income in certain ways. If you want to grow your business to that next level, there are times when you have to be a little more creative, especially for service businesses, like those of the entrepreneurs who I work with.

The key to creating a quick infusion of cash is to understand what motivates people. What I often speak about is how emotion plays a key role in branding and marketing. The goal is to make your ideal audience feel a particular way and inspire them to take action.

People like services that are delivered in one of three different ways. They are either intensive, elite, or offered at a great price.

Knowing there are three different things people like is going to help you choose what to offer your clients to generate quick cash and boost your sales.

#1 Services offered at a great price: We know that everybody loves to buy things on sale; they love knowing they've gotten 'a deal.' One option for you to implement in the next 30 days is to offer a sale. You can offer a one-day, three-day, holiday or special occasion, like a birthday, sale. Be sure to keep your sale period very short, between 3-5 days at the most.

When you’re having a sale, you need to be sure to promote your sale in advance so your clients are prepared to take action on the day your sale starts. Much like you do when you're having a party; you want to send out something like a “save the date!” You need to let people know in advance you're going to be offering a great opportunity and they'll want to keep an eye out for it.

#2 Offer your services in an intensive format: People love speed and will pay very highly for it. Very often people will pay a premium to receive a service or have something done for them in a faster way—especially those motivated to solve their most pressing problems and challenges like your ideal clients. Think about instead of taking six months to learn a new skill, you can learn it in three days.

One of the things you can do is offer VIP services. VIP service is your service offered in a VIP, intensive type of format. For example, this is where you offer your signature service in a very condensed, intensive format over the course of one day. You can easily implement this strategy in the next 30 days.

You may be starting at the lower end and that’s fine. As you get more experience, you’re going to want to increase your fees. The fees and structure of the day will depend on the kind of service you offer. (I can help you with designing the day and the fees.)

What’s great about VIP days is that you can be an entrepreneur starting completely from scratch and use this method to quickly begin creating new revenue in your practice!

#3 Offer an elite, exclusive package, platinum-style of service: Not all of your clients or prospective clients will be willing to step up into platinum, but I guarantee that you have right now in your database, even if it’s small, 10% to 20% of your past or prospective clients who want and will pay for a higher-end service, a premium version of what you do.

The reason is that they want specialized treatment with greater access to you. They want the exclusivity, prestige and intensity.

Platinum-level services are also perfect income-boosters. Typically they are a minimum of two to three times your current fee, and often even more.

They’re also easy and streamlined for you when you design them correctly. You want this level of service to be of the highest good for your clients and easy for both of you to implement and quickly see results.

There are also specific tips and strategies you need to know in order to quickly and easily add a platinum, or premium, level service to your business, how to set the pricing and accept deposits, which is all very simple once you know how.

You can easily sign up one or more platinum clients to your business within the next 30 days, which means you could instantly double or triple your revenue during the next 30 days. That’s an exciting prospect!

These three ways of increasing your income are fast, fun and very simple to do.

Just don’t try to do this all on your own. It’s very difficult to have perspective about ourselves and our business. It’s a lot easier and you will generate more sales if you get the help in these areas. If you do that, you’re very likely to see more cash flowing into your business within the next 30 days!

Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved

If you would like to use this article on your blog or website, feel free as long as you include the following author information:

Known for her creativity, gentle disposition, enthusiasm, and passion, Lisa Hromada is a leading Personal Branding Strategist and Money, Marketing, & Soul Coach who specializes in empowering women entrepreneurs to find the clarity and focus they need to create a thriving brand while still having the time and energy to enjoy their other priorities. Find Lisa's FREE gifts and more at: http://www.lisahromada.com/bizsuccess