In 2020, I joined a group programme to help me grow my coaching business (yes, even coaches have coaches). This programme had everything I needed: best coaching practices, mindset training, and business strategy to take your business to the next level.

It also had something I DIDN’T expect. At the end of almost each workbook, there was an unusual prompt: “Who do you need to be [to reach this goal]?”

We have it backwards. We think that once you have the right business strategy, everything will fall into place. Clients will magically find you, millions of dollars will pour into your bank account, and Oprah will call you for an interview.

What no one tells you is that you need to become the person who can implement that strategy before you start seeing results with it.

Being before doing.

Why Business Strategies Alone Don’t Work

If you don’t think you can do something, you won’t. This is especially true for women. A Hewlett Packard internal report that’s been quoted everywhere shows that men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, while women apply only if they meet 100% of them.

The same applies to your business, too. Videos are all the rage now, for example. They require a lot of confidence, the willingness to be visible, and more technical know-how than you think from looking at a 13 seconds clip.

If you have a fear of visibility or think of yourself as a technophobe, I can give you the best video strategy in the world, but you’re not gonna put it in practice. Can you have a successful business without doing videos? Sure. But there’ll always be a big slice of the market that’s not accessible to you.

This doesn’t apply to videos only, by the way. When you’re running your own business, there’s always a new strategy to implement, a new platform to jump on, a new limiting belief to master.

If you see yourself as a person who can’t do this or that, you’re disqualifying yourself before you even start. And your business won’t grow as much as you want it to.

Whenever you’re considering a new goal or business strategy, ask yourself, “am I already the person who can implement this? If not, who do I need to become to make it happen?”

Related: How To Overcome Self-Doubt And Do That Thing You’ve Always Wanted To Do

How To Become The Person You Need To Be To Reach Your Goals

Step 1: Decide Who You Need To Become

If you’re still not the person who can reach your goal, who you do you need to become to get there?

Here are a few examples:

• I want to be the kind of person who’s confident on camera and can do videos on the spot.
• I want to be the kind of person who confidently enters any room and strikes off a conversation with a group of strangers.
• I want to be the kind of person who’s physically fit and healthy to cope with a demanding schedule.
• I want to be the kind of person who doesn’t quit when the going gets tough.
• I want to be the kind of person who listens attentively, has a kind word for everyone and puts a smile on people’s faces.

As you go through this exercise, make sure the person you need to be IS the person you want to be. You may think that you need to become an extrovert to be good at networking. But do you really want to be an extrovert?

Introvert here! When I did this exercise, I realised that I didn’t want to become an extrovert. All I wanted was to be able to act extroverted and strike conversations with strangers at networking events (or whenever I needed it). The rest of the time, I was happy to go back to my quieter, introverted self.

This exercise isn’t about changing who you are and turning you into someone you don’t want to be. It’s about identifying the skills and traits you need to master to reach your goals.

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Step 2: Take Action Towards Your Goal

Now you know what kind of person you need to become, it’s time to take action. What can you do to become that person? You don’t have to make any drastic changes. The best approach is to start small. For example:

• If you want to be confident on video, start recording a short video on your phone every day. You don’t need to post it yet. Just practice for a couple of weeks until it becomes normal for you.
• If you want to become a better listener, every time you’re talking to someone, practice being more present instead of thinking about a reply in your mind.
• If you want to become more confident, try starting a conversation with a stranger on an elevator or record short Instagram videos.

These are all small, sustainable changes you can implement every day without getting overwhelmed. Little by little, they all add up and transform you into the person you need to become to build your dream business.

Step 3: Say Yes To Opportunities

As you become the person you need to be,  you’ll notice that opportunities start falling into your lap. 

For example, if you’ve been flexing your public speaking muscles in order to become a better communicator, you may be asked to speak at conferences or summits. 

Or, if you’ve been getting back into shape and eating healthier in order to take better care of yourself, you’ll find random people coming to you for nutrition and fitness advice. Could you create a nutrition plan for them, too?

Don’t ignore these opportunities. They’re signs that point you in the direction of your life purpose. 

If you heed the whispers and take action, you could turn these unexepected opportunities into a soul-aligned business or leverage them to get more clients, gigs, and everything else you had always dreamed of.

Wrapping It Up

The most important work you can do when building your business is building yourself and become the person you need to be to confidently speak to crowds, attract clients, reach your wildest goals.

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