HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS?

This is something many of my coaching clients ask, especially when they’re starting a new business or pivoting direction.

If this question is looping through your mind, it’s time to ask yourself:

What does ‘successful’ mean to you?

In my experience, we all have slightly, or radically, different ideas about success.

Added to that, the objectives, desires and visions you have for yourself and your business will evolve over time, so it’s likely that once you’ve hit a ‘success’ milestone, the goalposts will shift.

Take my marketing consultancy as an example:

My objective was to have a lifestyle business that replaced my employed salary.

Within a month of opening, I’d won my first piece of work and a steady stream of clients followed.

Based on the steady income that started in those early days, my business was a ‘success’ within a month, and continued to be a ‘success’ for seven years.

DANCE OF JOY!

My goals and objectives have now evolved, and my coaching business ‘success’ has a different set of standards and milestones.

I’ve structured my business, and developed my Plan, to achieve these milestones and, as they are far more ambitious, it’s going to take a bit longer to get there.

PLANNING + PATIENCE + PERSISTENCE = SUCCESS

So the first part really is to consider what ‘success’ means to you and how you’ll know when you get there so you can do The Dance of Joy!

Measuring your performance and setting clear milestones along the way is a super important part of business planning because it’s all too easy to lose sight of how far you’ve come.

And doing that means you get less opportunities do to The Dance of Joy, which is a real shame! ?

I’d advised you be realistic and set goals that stretch you but are achievable.

ps: comment below if you’d like a video demonstration of said Dance of Joy…I have no shame.

If success is a certain monthly income, I’d suggest you break it down into smaller milestones so you get to do The Dance of Joy as often as possible, for example:

Success = £5,000 Monthly Income (MI)

Milestone 1 = £1,000 MI (Dance of Joy)

Milestone 2: £2,500 MI (Dance of Joy)

Milestone 3: £5,000 MI (HUGE Dance of Joy…and shift the goalposts!)

Whatever success means to you, get super clear on it so you know what you’re working towards.

This little spark of clarity usually brings about the next question:

How do I reach these milestones and get my version of success?

The answer:

SOLID FOUNDATIONS

I really can’t stress enough how important this is.

It’s what everything is built on, and if you’ve been offering your services into a vacuum, chances are you’re on shaky ground.

Solid foundations are the core of your business – and sadly it’s the stuff way too many business owners glide past and end up paying the price down the line.

I’ve neatly bundled the SOLID FOUNDATIONS into four phases, and they form the core of my group coaching programme, The Aligned Client Attraction Academy.

If you haven’t already worked through these phases, I strongly suggest you start now and get them nailed down.

Once you have, your path to success will be paved with The Dance of Joy!

Here’s a breakdown so you can get to work:

PHASE 1: Business owner and money mindset | Self-belief, joy, passion, purpose, vision | Business overview and goals

PHASE 2: Business and client clarity | Packages and pricing | Brand guidelines and personal brand

PHASE 3: Client journey mapping and planning | Compelling copy and sales page creation | Marketing and promotional plan

PHASE 4: Pipeline building | Authentic sales systems | Crafting the Annual Plan

When you break it down it sounds super simple, and at it’s heart it is, but if you need help, guidance and support to lay solid foundations for YOU and YOUR BUSINESS, there are FOUR DAYS left to enrol in THE ALIGNED CLIENT ATTRACTION ACADEMY.

If group coaching programmes aren’t your thing, we can work through this during my intensive one-to-one coaching programme The Aligned Business Accelerator (DM for application details).

However you choose to build your business, however you choose to define what ‘success’ means to you, my advice is that you get organised, put a plan in place, break it down into celebratory milestones, and keep going until you get there!

All the very best, Sally xo