Ep #63: The ONE Real Problem in Your Business

Written By Support at The Uncommon Way

Episode Summary

Jenna shares why clarity is the most important element for your business's success.

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Show Notes

There’s one non-negotiable for any business leader: clarity, which just happens to be the foundation of my offerings. I help others find clarity at any stage of their business in order to grow, evolve, and harness their greatest power. It's fun, dynamic work!

Cultivating clarity is essential for finding your offer, your people, and your next steps in business. If you have a sneaking suspicion that something is holding you back, it’s time to get clear, do some deep dives, and identify your own inner knowing.

This week, I share with you three essential elements to move with confidence in your business. Discover how clarity affects your business results, how to implement 3 keys to success, and my path to finding clarity in my business.

 

What You’ll Learn From This Episode:

  • What three things are needed in your service business.

  • Why all the marketing in the world won’t make up for a lack of clarity.

  • Examples of mindsets that keep you from getting clarity.

  • Why purpose is power.

  • How to identify and implement clarity in your business.

 

Listen to the Full Episode:

 

Featured on the Show:

 

Full Episode Transcript:

Hey, my friends, welcome back to The Uncommon Way. I have got something special for you today. We are bringing back a most valuable episode. I've got two reasons for that. One is if you are a longtime listener, and the other is if you're new.

If you're a longtime listener, what I've found for myself, and I always suggest for my clients, is to listen to something more than once. Because it just sinks in in a different way, and whenever you listen to it you are a new person, basically. So, you will absorb it in a different way. It will apply to your life in different ways.

This episode in particular, is what I think the best overview of the work that we do here at The Uncommon Way. It really talks about why we do this, what our philosophy is, and of course, what it means. This three-part system that I talk about for service businesses is know yourself, know your people, and speak to how those two things connect. That is the true secret of a service business. But what does that really mean?

This episode really covers it all, and will hopefully get you really grounded again back into your focus of exactly why you're here and why you've been listening.

If you are new… we have had such an influx of new listeners… what I've realized, is that some of the later episodes aren't really talking about the core basics. You probably all can relate to this yourself, when you're posting content for your audience; you tend to assume they've heard it. You assume that they know exactly what you're talking about.

But what I've noticed with some of the people that I've been talking to recently, is that they really don't know, and they would really love something where they can listen to it ahead of our call, and really be primed for when they come into a call, to talk about how this works applies to them and their business. So, this is why I resurrected in this episode. Whether you're a longtime listener or a new listener, I hope you enjoy it. It is honestly one of my favorites.

You're listening to The Uncommon Way Business and Life Coaching Podcast, the only podcast that helps you unlock your next level in business and life by prioritizing your clarity and your own Uncommon Way. You will learn to maximize your mindset, mission, messaging, and strategy in order to create a true legacy. Here's your host, top-ranked business coach, and reformed over-analyzer turned queen of clarity, Jenna Harrison.

Hello, and thanks for tuning into this episode. I'm dying to get straight down to business; you game? Okay, we're going to do a quick quiz, it's based on five different stages in business. Things I've seen from clients that are just starting out, up through seven-figure earners. If something doesn't apply to you yet, just skip it. Focus on what applies. Ready?

Are you uncertain about exactly who you want to work with, what you want to offer, or how to articulate the value of what you actually provide in a way that makes people say, “I want that?”

Do your clients come in unpredictably, they're not all necessarily the ones you choose to work with, and overall, it feels hard to find and get clients?

Is your business going great on paper, but deep down, you wonder if this is really it? But on the other hand, you're afraid of breaking anything because you've gotten really used to the lifestyle it supports?

Are you exhausted trying to do everything you're supposed to do and make things happen, rather than trusting that your results are available to you in uncommon ways?

Do you know you're capable of more and you've figured out that really, you are the one holding yourself back, but you still keep reverting to old patterns and playing small?

If the answer to any of these is ‘yes,’ I've got some good news. There's only one thing going on here; it's a clarity gap. It might be clarity on what's really going on in your brain and in your heart, or how you best create results, or what your people really need from you. But it all boils down to an inability to see what's there, to see your uncommon way. That manifests in so many ways.

Sometimes we know that a lack of clarity is getting in our way. We know that we haven't decided on our niche and that's why we're not putting up the website. We're fully aware that we're holding back rather than leaning in.

But other times, it's not so obvious. For instance, we think we're not bringing in clients because we have lousy Facebook Ad skills. When the truth is, that if you knew how to bring in cold traffic clients, if you knew what helps accelerate your people's movement through their buyer’s journey, then the actual delivery vehicle wouldn't matter. Right?

You can do it with Facebook ads, or on Instagram, or waiting in the line at Starbucks. Until you know that, those Facebook funnels of yours aren't going to be converting anyway. All the marketing in the world won't make up for a lack of clarity. I'll say it again: All the marketing in the world won't make up for a lack of clarity.

Hats off to Geeta Nadkarni for phrasing it like that, it's so well put and so true. Yes, ads can help you speed up your clarity process, but you need to be strategic about them, and you have to know what data you're prioritizing. Otherwise, and I've seen this so tragically often, you're paying to bring all these people onto your list that might not even be compatible.

Facebook is showing your ads to the people most likely to click, but maybe they're just random grandmas that like clicking on ads and think, “Oh, maybe I'll get some info here to help my daughter.” But they'll never become a client, and you'll use that as evidence that you're not a good business person and you're just not likable, and it's obvious you're a terrible coach, too.

This very thing happened to someone I know. I can't make this stuff up. She was super happy about low ads cost, disappointed about zero conversions, but then drilling into the data, she's like, “Oh, wait, they're mostly 60- to 65-year-old women and I know my offer is not a fit for that group.”

For both of those examples, holding back on the website or misdirecting your energy and resources with ads, there's a very high cost. Of course, the frustration and beating yourself up; never fun. And the actions you take from that negative place; rarely productive. Definitely not showing up as your best, most powerful self.

But there's opportunity costs too, which isn't something our brain naturally thinks about because we're just not wired that way. If you're bringing in $0 in revenue, and you hold off on putting yourself out there for one month, it's like, “Well, I'll just go another month with zero revenue.” But two years from now, you're making six figures, so if you had a one extra month of that income in your bank account, that's almost $10,000. What about what you're making in five years, or ten? What's that monthly revenue?

So obviously, we want to course-correct as quickly as possible, and we can. In fact, you already have so much more clarity than you realize about what will work for you.

But before we dive into solutions, we have got to address the elephant in the room; shame. It comes with the territory. If you're like my clients, you're smart, independent, accomplished, and very embarrassed that you can't figure things out on your own.

I've been there; looking around when it feels like everyone else seems to have their shit together. But there's nothing shameful about where you are. You know what? Even a surgeon can't do brain surgery on herself. You're just really close to the problem.

Besides, confusion can be a superpower. Yeah, you heard me right. Sure, lots of times we confuse ourselves, it's a form of procrastination; that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about when something within calls you to reorient closer to your purpose. You can actually pick up on that.

Do you know how many people go through life completely out of touch with their internal guidance system? And, how many others pretend they don't hear it, and just bulldoze their way ahead? Your Higher Self’s like, “Come on, we need to go right,” and you're here, “No, shush. We're going left.” Been there.

But kudos to you if you're not in either of those camps. It's super easy for shame to come up, when there are so many strong opinions out there about exactly how you should be making decisions. Early on it's, “Just pick something. Just charge people for a skill you already developed in your day job. Just teach whatever people come to you for naturally,” etc., right?

Then, later in your business, you hear things like, “Just double down on what's already working. Don't overthink it. This is a proven business model.” Now, I'm not saying that advice is wrong, many people are well served by it every day. It just might not be right for you, right now. Maybe there's something deeper that needs to be revealed.

I mean, that kind of advice is great, and maybe exactly what you need to hear if your focus, above all else, is money or speed-to-market. Right? Because you really want to enjoy time-freedom, or location independence, or a job that's marginally more pleasant than your old day job was.

But maybe, you could already create all those things for yourself without having your own company, staying a lot more comfortable and stretching yourself far less than an entrepreneurship. I mean, the Great Recession is giving talented people some pretty nice bargaining power nowadays.

So, maybe the biggest driver for you is, I'm just going to go there, purpose; true self-expression, finding your thing, and never, ever going back to giving away your talents and energy to something that isn't a ‘hell yes.’ Or, even worse, makes you want to poke your eyes out.

When you think about it, a question like ‘who am I really here to help,’ is directly related to the questions that humans have asked forever. What am I here to do? And, who am I? Those are valid fucking questions. Which is why I hate the term “niche drama.” Is it being dramatic? I don't think so.

I think of it like Maslow's hierarchy of needs. At a certain stage, we're focused on survival. We need the security, the money. At another stage, it's more about recognition or power. Right? There are all these different stages, and this is all perfectly human. Of course, no judgment for any of them.

But once you've kind of got those things, then you have the privilege, but also, the natural human inclination to set your sights on the top of the pyramid, on self-actualization. So, here's what you don't have to do. Just pick a direction. Just wait for the answer to come. And, you sure as hell don't have to get somebody else's opinion or permission.

I remember when I was trying to figure out what kind of business to start and somebody told me to just help people with something I'd already overcome myself. I was like, “Well, I got myself out of financial debt. But I am completely uninterested in devoting the rest of my life to that.” That was a clear ‘no’ for me.

The same kind of thing happens at all different stages in business. You get the call to go deeper. To more fully align with a part of you that wants to be realized. Though, sometimes, you wouldn't express it that way, right? It's more subconscious.

I remember once, I was telling my husband, Ben, about my latest business idea. This is when I was transitioning out of corporate and we were in Brussels; because we used to live in Europe. We're outside, we're eating mussels, we're drinking rosé on this perfect spring day, and I'm telling him about this idea that, I don't fully remember, but I know it had to do with sunglasses. Like, some kind of customized sunglasses.

He's there looking at me, like, why are we even talking about this? He goes, “Jenna, but is this just about making money to you, or are you in this for something more?” I told him, “The money. Yeah, the money, for sure.” I gave him this whole speech about generational change for women, and wealth distribution, power distribution, and the whole thing.

But he knew me well, because I never followed through with those ideas. Something kept leading me back to my journals to try again. I didn't know coaching was a thing, so I was just doing the best I could.

I'd been complaining to him for years, by that point, about how much I long to find “my thing.” But then I read The Four-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, who was like, “Just find your muse business for the time being. Worry about “your thing” later,” hence, the sunglasses. I was like, “Well, maybe ambiguity is just what happens when you're good at lots of things and interested in even more.”

But the waiting drove the high performer in me crazy. I so wanted to be in action, doing, rather than being in this horrible place that felt so blocked. Plus, to be real, it filled the yogi in me with guilt. Like, why couldn't I just be grateful and focused on the here-and-now? When was it finally going to be good enough?

I own properties in Manhattan and Miami, for God's sake. I had a sexy title at a top fashion company. I even negotiated a telecommuting contract, back when that wasn't even really a thing. I had made it, right? I could work from Panama, from Morocco; and I did.

But I'm so thankful for the confusion I had then. For the part of me that kept giving me that nudge. Sure, I stayed there longer than I would have liked. But it's because it took me so long to get help. It seemed like everyone was telling me, “This is just the kind of thing you have to figure out for yourself,” which I now know is because I believed it was something that only I could figure out for myself.

Even once I got clear on my purpose, and I began turning it into a business, I was still stuck in the habit of being confused. I still had to shake off the mindset issues that had blocked the clarity in the first place. To be fair, I needed to develop the system that I created to connect all these dots; from your life, to your people, to your offer, and up through your messaging and strategy. So, that took me a while, yeah.

But I tell people this all the time, when you are on the other side, you're not going to be telling yourself, “Ugh, I wish I hadn't taken the time to get this right, and have this super aligned business that I love.” Right? I am so grateful now that I'm here talking to you, rather than drop-shipping frickin’ sunglasses. No judgement; just not for me, right? If my mission was Warby Parker's mission, then glasses would make perfect sense; but it's not.

Alright, back to the point. There is nothing wrong with you. We're not taught how to tap into our clarity. It doesn't mean you've got an overthinking problem, or are indecisive, or are a big commitment-phobe.

Look, you've been conditioned against clarity. You've got to check out Episode 2, it's called “The Decision Tree.” It spells out how we've been taught to make decisions and how counterproductive to true clarity that can be. It's going to change the way you see everything.

But it's not just conditioning and how we've been taught, your brain is wired not to see it. It's paying attention to survival, first and foremost. It believes there are far easier and more proven ways to keep you alive than to venture into the unknown. It's actually right about that, but who wants to live that way? We're here for far more than just staying alive until we die.

Finally, your subconscious may not want you to see it. Because then you'll actually have to go out and do the scary things. So, it filters the information you receive to support the objective of keeping you right where you are. Just like I kept getting the information that ‘nobody can help you figure out what you want to do.’

It amazes me that I didn't even know that coaches existed, really. Yet, I have this memory of a close acquaintance; I remember overhearing her telling someone else that she was a life coach, and it didn't even register. I think I interpreted that as an energy healer or something.

When I finally discovered my resistance to doing scary things, I was blown away. I considered myself a very confident person. I was the one who turned down prestigious jobs after college in order to run away to Spain for a few years, positive that I'd land on my feet. No problem. I even worked on a nudist beach at one point when I was there. No one would have called me timid.

But it turns out that my fear of failure was huge. My whole identity was caught up in doing things really well, and accomplishing whatever I wanted. But the only way you can do that is when you choose challenges that, honestly, aren't that much of a stretch.

So, I'd created an ideal state of affairs. My ego still got all the accolades, “Oh, Jenna’s got so much potential, she can do whatever she wants. As soon as she finds her thing, watch out world.” But I didn't have to take any of the risks. It was brilliant. I didn't have to risk failing at something I actually cared about in front of everyone. Everyone with a capital E.

I didn't have to say, “This, this is what I believe in more than anything.” Rather than, “I mean, yeah. It's a good gig that pays well and makes career sense. So, whatever.” You hear the difference? Because if I were to fail at that second thing, it would just be because, “Well, my heart wasn't really in it, anyway.”

Even when I did finally push ‘Post’ on that Facebook announcement, that fateful Facebook announcement, and was like, “Here's what I'm doing now,” I was still unraveling all that mindset stuff. I called myself a performance coach rather than a life coach, because I thought it sounded more legit.

I wasn't offering to help people with clarity. I thought, “You know, I'm just helping them accomplish their goals in their own uncommon way.” But then, since most of my clients were entrepreneurs, and I was investing more heavily in business mentorship than they were, and of course, I totally wanted them to succeed, I started sharing what was working.

Before long they were calling me their business coach. Then, I started getting these clients where I just knew they were struggling, because they were missing foundational clarity pieces. Because I remembered that from my own journey, I was like, “Okay, look, here's what worked for me. I have no idea if this will work for you, but you want to try?”

I've coached well over a hundred women now through this; it's safe to say it works. What I've seen, is that with all the stuff going on in your brain, all the analysis, conditioning, wiring, fears, doubts, and subconscious self-sabotage, we desperately need to simplify. Because that's how clarity is, it's a very simple. It's just, “I'm doing this. These are my people. This is what I'm about.” It's the mind that overcomplicates.

Now, for instance, I never waver. Just kidding, I totally get all up in my head on the regular. The difference is that now I've got a rock-solid foundation of what I'm about, I know where I'm going, and I've got some incredible tools to get me and my clients tapped in again far more quickly now.

That rock-solid foundation looks like this, are you ready? Know yourself. Know your people. Talk about how those two connect. That's it. Those three simple things are the key to business: Know yourself. Know your people. Talk about how those two connect. It works whether you're just starting out, or at seven figures.

So, let me show you how it plays out in real life. I'll use the example of a coaching business, since so many of my people are coaches. Part one, know yourself. It all starts with your mission. There's more involved with knowing yourself, like really understanding your secret sauce, but let's focus on mission.

What is it you're really here to do? Here's how you want to think about this. You know how in hindsight, it's so easy to connect the dots about how this thing led to this other thing and now you're here, but in the middle of it, it all seems so random? Well, you're in the middle of it now. It might seem random but that doesn't mean it is.

Because of your unique brain, your experiences, and maybe even your soul's desire, when it chose to be born, it's like you're wearing glasses with a special filter that helps you make meaning of things. Your filter’s totally different from my filter. It makes you uniquely primed to do your work in the world, because you've already been focusing on it your whole life.

Put another way, your life has been preparing you for it. But until you see it you can't own it, and you can't act on it either, which hamstrings your business, your lifestyle, and your fulfillment. So, whether you realize it or not, there are themes that have been showing up for you and sticking in your memory.

When we do this work, we see that the thing that happened when we were seven has a lot in common with that other thing when we were seventeen. Now, we're multi-dimensional people so there are several; I call them “meta themes.”

We're always able to narrow them down to three to five, and when we do, my clients are then always able to see the ones that stand out to them more than the rest. Once you see it, you can't unsee it. That meta theme, that mission, will drastically narrow the range of potential business ideas for you.

All you have to do is ask: Which is most likely to further that mission, and of course, meshes with my lifestyle preferences too?

Then you use the same type of questioning to lead you to your people. I have a process for this, and it has nothing to do with what have you always been good at in your day job. Because here's the crazy secret about your mission, your people are also interested in furthering that mission in the world.

Even if they've never expressed it in that way, or put much thought into it. Even if you never say it outright, just knowing it changes how you show up. And when you start sprinkling it into your copy, it creates next level messaging.

Because there's a subconscious resonance that makes you stand out compared to others. It's very powerful. This is where we eliminate the idea of competition. Imagine how you'd show up if you really believed that you and your offer were a no-brainer, and the only real option out there for your people. Game-changer, right?

If you're interested in case studies about how understanding their mission has helped clients in all different stages of business; do everything from figure out their niche to completely transforming their business model, then you have got to sign up for my email newsletter, because that's what my welcome sequence is all about.

All you have to do is go to the UncommonWay.com and then sign up for any of the helpful freebies there on the homepage.

But true clarity in business is not just about the introspective work of know yourself, even though that is where it all starts.

The second part, know your people, is about learning to understand them like the back of your hand. How do they think? How do they talk? What do they think the problem and solution is? How is that different from those other people over there?

This is what probably 85% of new entrepreneurs skip, but it makes all the difference. When you can combine the two, your knowledge of yourself with your knowledge of them, and move on to part three, which is talking about the connection in a way they'll understand, both in your copy and in your interactions with them, it is a recipe for success.

It's why I brought in over $90,000 from Google alone last year from people that had never heard of me. They landed on my website, they felt moved to book a call, and they became clients on that call. I don't have tons of persuasion copy on there, nor am I a genius with SEO. And while I know a lot about manifesting, there is more to it.

Really, it's that 70% of that site is client language, with concepts that I tested out on real people. And so, it resonates. People stick around and read. Google sees that and ranks me highly because of it, even though other sites have a much higher domain authority than mine. The people that don't resonate know right away that I'm not for them. So, the ones that do book tend to be ideal clients that I want to work with.

Just with a three-part clarity formula, I've created a six-figure business that doesn't rely on ads or social media. Until launching this podcast, I went two years without being on social, and I don't foresee it ever being my main effort. I don't do launches. I'm creating a 15-hour workweek. I’ve basically thrown out all the ‘have tos’ and ‘shoulds.’

And, I'm not alone. My clients are doing it their way, too. Nobody's business looks the same, and the results are beautiful. Even though this work isn't primarily about making money or impressing others or healing inner wounds, that's what ends up happening.

As you evolve, and you continue stretching to better and better understand, you open to more pure, more inspired output, and much greater impact. It's simply where you need to go, because it's where you've always had the potential of going.

My clients say over and over that it's clarity that gives you that confidence, consistency, and willingness to move through discomfort, so you can accomplish the results you want in your life. Of course, it's also about the mindset they developed through the process of uncovering the clarity, and then actually implementing it. Which is why, in each episode I'll always give you both the mindset perspective and the tactical steps that you can apply.

So, to recap: Clarity isn't something to get to later, it's affecting your results right now. Wherever you are in business, clarity is your work. It's not something you have to wait for, or to happen to get lucky with, or anything beyond your reach. The seeds are already there within.

All you have to do is start by deeply understanding yourself, then getting just as fascinated and curious about your people, and finally, speak simply and clearly about how you and they connect. The whole purpose of this podcast is to help you better understand and apply those three things.

Because when you continually check your business against them, and against the questions that really matter in life, you keep reorienting to truth, to your truth, which is how we create legacy.

More importantly, though, you finally get to become the woman who walks through the world knowing who she really is and what she's doing. To feel what that knowingness feels like. The real reward is you; it always was. I so look forward to seeing what comes of that and how you grow the business you want, your way, without rules.

That's it for today. I can't wait for you to listen to Episode #2, it's one of the most popular tools I teach.

Remember, deep down you know who you are, and each day you're stepping further into what you are here to create. See you next time.

Hey, if you want true clarity about your secret sauce, your people, your best way of doing business, and how you talk about your offer, then I invite you to join us in The Clarity Accelerator. I'll teach you to connect all the dots, the dots that have always been there for you, so that you can show up like you were born for exactly this.

Come join us and supercharge every other tool or tactic you'll ever learn, from Facebook ads to manifestation. Just go to TheUncommonWay.com/schedule and set up a time to talk. I can't wait to be your coach.

Thanks for joining us here at The Uncommon Way. If you want more tips and resources for developing clarity in your business and life, including the Clarity First Strategy for growing and scaling your business, visit TheUncommonWay.com. See you next time.

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