Have you ever wondered why some coaches and entrepreneurs get all the visibility, clients, and money quickly while others struggle for years to even get their business off the ground?

Do those who make it have a secret strategy they’re telling no one about?

Or is it just the pure confidence to do the things others are uncomfortable with? 🤔

In the 15 years I’ve been an entrepreneur, I’ve come to agree with Tony Robbins that 80% of success comes from psychology and only 20% from strategy.

Strategy matters. If you don’t have a plan to get from A to B, you’ll waste a lot of time and money doing things that take you further away from your goals.

But without a strong mindset to back the strategy, you’ll only implement the parts of the strategies that feel comfortable to you – and never reach your goals.

Let me tell you a story…

Why Business Strategy Alone Isn’t Enough

When I first started my business, I believed that all I needed to be successful was the right strategy. Mindset was a nice-to-have, but I didn’t see how it would help me get clients in the short term. Can you relate to that?

So, I invested a small fortune in online courses and coaching programmes to learn the right strategies to build an online business. Each course taught me a different strategy: SEO, blogging, social media, in-person networking, Facebook ads… You name it, I did it.

And… crickets.

The first time a strategy didn’t work, I blamed the strategy. Was it outdated? Did it work only for extroverts/natural sellers/special people? Did the course creator get lucky and was selling a fluke?

So, I tried a different strategy and… that didn’t work either. I still didn’t get any clients and wasn’t making any money. *sigh* Was I just not good at picking courses? Did I just fall for marketing hype?

I spent a year jumping from strategy to strategy, hoping something would finally work. When nothing did, I had to look at the harsh truth in the face.

The common denominator here was me. Each strategy worked. I didn’t work.

Why Mindset Is 80% Of Success

Can thinking positive thoughts, doing visualisations, and repeating affirmations 10 times a day get you clients? 

I was sceptical. Turns out, mindset work is a lot more than that. Let me tell you why the strategies didn’t work.

Reason 1: You Don’t Believe In Yourself And What You Offer

Every strategy I had invested in clearly stated the first step was to get super clear on who your ideal client is and the problem you help them solve.

If you had asked me at the time, I would have sworn I had a clearly defined niche. But looking back at the content I posted back then, I too can’t figure out what I was selling and who my ideal client was. 😅

I was talking about a different topic every day, selling a different offer every week, and focusing more on features than the results I could help my audience get. 

I had all the right tools and strategies to nail my marketing message, so why didn’t I do it? 

The reality is, I was so full of doubts that I could really get my clients results, that my message was too vague and wishy washy.

How could I claim my programme could help female entrepreneurs reach 10K months when I myself doubted I could help them do that? 

My energy was off too. I jumped on videos and started doing lives to promote my services, but my lack of confidence showed through. I was following the script my coaches had given me and saying all the right things, but my whole body language and tone of voice conveyed a very different message. 

People just didn’t see me as the confident coach who could help them. Until they did, I’d always struggle to get clients.

It’s not enough to be great at what you do. You also need to believe you’re great at what you do and that you can help your clients get results. 

Strategy won’t help you with that. Mindset will.

Reason 2: You Only Implement The Part Of The Strategy That Feels Comfortable To You

I see this all of the time and have been guilty of it myself.

Let’s take Instagram, for example. I spent a year posting in the feed and uploading stories every day and… crickets.

When I got serious about getting clients from Instagram and started investing in the strategy, I realised that was not enough. In addition to being crystal clear on your niche and ideal client, an Instagram strategy that works involves doing regular live streams, starting conversations in the DMs and selling every day in your stories.

Here’s the catch… I had heard all of these things before. And talked myself out of doing them! 🤦‍♀️

❌ Doing videos scared me. What if people didn’t like me? Surely, I could get away with just posting valuable tips and insights in the feed.

❌ Starting conversations in the DMs seemed pushy. Surely, if I had engaging CTAs in my posts, they’d be the ones contacting me.

❌ Selling every day in my stories felt sleazy. Surely, that’d have the opposite effect and have people unsubscribe in droves.

Except… my way was NOT working. I didn’t get a single client from Instagram.

I had the right strategy. But I was only implementing the part that felt comfortable to me.

I had to break through the limiting beliefs I had around sales and visibility, so I could go all in and finally get paying clients from Instagram.

Success Formula: 20% Strategy + 80% Mindset

The truth is, there are a gazillion strategies to get clients and build a 6+ figures business. Every strategy works – but only if you implement it fully without self-doubts getting in the way.

This is what mindset work is all about. Mindset work allows you to become the person who can go all in with any strategy, selling without feeling sleazy, promoting yourself and your services without feeling like a fraud. 

Here’s how to do that:

How To Pick The Right Strategy

Let’s start with strategy first. If every strategy works, how do you pick the right one for you? 

I like to ask myself this question: what’s the easiest, quickest, and most joyful way to get the result I want?

Let’s say you’re an introverted coach who wants to sign up 4 clients a month. Getting speaking gigs or going to networking events are strategies that are proven to work for thousands of people. 

But if you’re resistant to them, self-sabotage will set in and you won’t go all in. You won’t be consistent. You’ll only implement the part of the strategy that feels comfortable to you. And you’ll be so uncomfortable doing it, you’ll be putting your potential clients off. 

Before you know it, you’ll be frustrated and blame the strategy. But the strategy isn’t the issue. Alignment is.

The right strategy for you is aligned with your personality, strengths, and the mission for your business. Give yourself permission to do what feels right to you, not what the latest guru tells you is the best strategy right now.

How To Build The Right Mindset For Success

Once you have selected the best strategy for you, it’s time to become the person who can implement it and get results from it. Here’s how:

Step 1: Where Are You Stopping?

As you’ll start implementing the strategy, you’ll find you’ll start negotiating with yourself just how far to go with it. 

🙁 “Do I really need to make cold calls? Maybe just sending an email will do?”

🙁 “Do I really need to do live videos every week? Surely, just posting every day in the feed is enough.”

🙁 “Approaching big podcasters is scary. Can’t I just start with micro podcasters?”

As soon as you start negotiating with yourself, ask yourself: “Where am I stopping? What am I not willing or am too scared to do?”

Just acknowledge it for now.

Step 2: Identify What’s Stopping You From Implementing The Strategy Fully

Now you know where you’re stopping, ask yourself “What’s the story I am telling myself about why I don’t want to implement the rest of the strategy?”

Let’s say you’re reluctant to do live streams. What are you afraid of?

😟 Are you afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting someone?

😟 Are you afraid you’ll be criticised if you don’t have the perfect background, the perfect hair, and the perfect message?

😟 Are you afraid your friends may see it and make fun of you?

😟 Are you afraid people will find out you’re not as good as they think you are?

Whatever it is, acknowledge the limiting belief that’s stopping you from going all in and getting the results you want.

Step 3: Become The Person Who Can Implement The Strategy Fully And Get Results

Now you know what’s really stopping you, it’s time to create a whole new story. 

Who do you get to be to become the person who can move past that fear, implement the strategy fully, and get the results you want?

Let’s say you’re afraid of saying the wrong thing and upsetting someone. How does the confident entrepreneur who speaks her mind without fear shows up? 

✨ What does she think before going on a live?

✨ What actions does she take?

✨ What message does she share?

Mindset work isn’t just about reframing negative thoughts and beliefs and repeating positive affirmations 10 times a day. This helps you see the situation for what it really is and defuse the fear, so you can take action.

But if you stop at reframing and affirmations without taking action, no amount of mindset work or strategy will work. Mindset work works when you take it from the head to your heart and you embody the person you want to become. 

Every day, you think the thoughts she would think, make the decisions she would make, and take the actions she would take. Even when you’re scared. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it doesn’t make sense.

Related: Who Do You Need To Become To Build A Successful Business?

Wrapping It Up

The formula to success is 20% strategy and 80% mindset. Every strategy works, but only when you become the person who doesn’t let her self-doubts and fear stop her from implementing it fully. Who do you need to become to make your goals a reality?

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