Maria Tan | Business Coach for Misfits | The 7 Deadly Business Habits that Are Holding You Back

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How often do you feel like an entrepreneur on the hamster wheel, grinding, chugging along, and still getting nowhere?

Perhaps you?ve already started doubting yourself and questioning if you really have what it takes? Because if you did, you should have attained the success you thought you could by now? right?

I mean?

You?ve listened to the gurus.

You?ve watched countless webinars and summits.

You?ve attended so many courses you?ve lost count.

You?ve downloaded piles of podcasts and you follow hundreds of people.

You have three shelves full of books on business, marketing, branding, you name it.

So WHY haven?t you gotten the results you wanted? Is there something wrong with you? Does this mean you?re broken?

YOU?RE NOT.

Listen, business shouldn?t be hard. Yes, there?s strategy, and yes, there are a lot of other things to think about? but it shouldn?t feel like a struggle. So if you?re feeling like it?s all uphill and you?re still not getting anywhere, then you?re probably guilty of one of the ?seven deadly business habits? below.

? You keep adding to your to-do list?

You?re running a business, not going grocery shopping. Go through your to-do list and eliminate the things that drain your energy and don?t move you ahead, while prioritizing the tasks that really make a difference. You may be surprised when you take a good look at where the majority of your time is being allocated.

Try to trim it down by 50%... what remains is where real results happen.?

? You?re not selling?

Of course a business needs to be selling, but we?re talking ?active selling? here. Talking about what you do. Reaching out. Making connections, and making offers. Not just offering a ?preview? and hoping that your audience will knock on your door. Listen? people are inundated with information. They?re overwhelmed. So even if your product or service is the answer they?ve been waiting for, it?s up to you to take that step and make that offer.

Stop hiding and start selling. You?re worth more than that?YOU know it, so make sure your audience knows it, too.

? You?re forcing things?

Slowing down is necessary because, as they say, ?haste makes waste.? If you?re rushing through, you?re bound to cut corners or miss things. Not only that, but you also need to give space for your clients to ?catch up? and integrate what you?re saying.? When you?re as unique as you are, with ideas as different as the ones you have, it might take a little time for others to warm up to what you?re all about.

Be gentle, be deliberate, and keep going. Momentum only happens with movement, so just keep moving forward.

? You?re way ahead of your audience?

Put yourself in their shoes. Deliver your message in a language your audience can understand. How can they be able to scale to six figures if they can?t even imagine making their first sale? How can they publish a book when they don?t even know what to write about? ?How can they see that your alternative medicine is the best option when all their life they?ve been told popping pills is the answer?

Break it down for them, step by step, to make it easy for them to reach you. It?s how you bridge the gap between you and your audience.

? You?re focusing too much on the likes ?

Likes and comments are great, but the people that actually buy don?t usually bother with clicking ?like.? They don?t browse around and sample what you offer. They know why they?re on your page and they are looking for the checkout.?

Although building a tribe and following does create momentum and make you algorithm-friendly, don?t just cater to your fans? remember to also focus on your buying audience.

? You overly defend yourself ?

Being certain in your message is crucial, but learn to pick your battles and don?t waste your energy arguing with the haters. The more visible you get, the more people will disagree with you by sheer matter of percentage. That?s just how numbers work. Also, did I mention that the more visible you get, the more people will ADORE you, too?

Not everyone is your client, and that?s okay. ?

? Your business model is a lemonade stand?

You?re ?making the lemonade,? ?manning the stand,? and bringing in a (small) profit only while actively engaged. Unless you want to work 24/7, make sure your business model can scale without burning you out. You don?t want to be limiting your profitability to the amount of hard work you put in.

With the right systems in place, you can make money even while you sleep! So learn not only to delegate, but also automate. We are in the digital world, you know? (??)

??????How many of the above do you find yourself nodding to? How many of these deadly business habits are you guilty of?

These are all common habits, and I won?t be surprised if you?ve fallen prey to many of them. But now that you?re aware of them, set the intention to overcome them. Print this somewhere and constantly review if you?re letting the 7 deadly business habits hold you back from having your thriving business.

You DO have what it takes. You ARE amazing at what you do. There?s probably just a habit or two that are keeping you stuck, and all you need is a little boost or shift to get you out of that hamster wheel and back en route to incredible success!

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