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MICHELLE'S
​ MORSELS

Do You Make Sure to Move the Needle in Your Business? And What Does That Even Mean?

6/21/2022

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If you’ve spent any time with a business coach, you’ve probably heard them talk about making sure you regularly do things to move the needle in your business, and it’s true you need to make time for those needle-moving activities, but first you need to know what that means. Once you’re clear on the “move the needle” meaning, then we can talk about what that entails, so let’s start with defining the term.

“Move the Needle” Meaning

​Essentially, the term “move the needle,” when talking about your business, means to do things that will help you grow your business. It could be launching a new product or service. It could be marketing your new (or an existing) product or service. It could be making sales calls, or following up with leads after a networking event. Anything you do to grow your business is a needle-moving activity.
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While you need to create the product or service you’re selling to your clients, that is not considered a needle-moving activity. That is considered working in your business rather than on your business. That doesn’t mean it’s not important, it just means you can’t only do those activities and expect to grow your business.

​How to Move the Needle in Your Business

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Now that we know what a needle-moving activity is, let’s go over a few strategies you can use to consistently move the needle in your business so you can achieve all the success you know is waiting out there for your business. ​

​Identify Your Needle-Moving Activities

First, you need to identify which activities tend to move the needle in your business. If you usually get a lot of high-quality leads through networking, then commit to attending a certain number of networking events every week or month, and don’t forget to follow up with those leads because that is a needle-moving activity for your business.

How Do You Prefer to Move the Needle?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to building a business. Each business is unique, and that’s especially true for solopreneurs who tend to embody their business, so just because someone does something to grow their business doesn’t mean you have to do the same thing. When figuring out which strategies you should use to grow your business, find a combination of strategies that are most likely to reach your target audience and strategies you enjoy so you’re not forcing yourself to do something that doesn’t align with who you are. For example, if you like sending emails, but your target audience prefers to be contacted on their phones, you could send them a text message, especially since almost everyone is using their cell phone as their business phone these days

Commit to Regular Activities that Move the Needle

Once you’ve identified the needle-moving activities that work for both you and your target audience, commit to performing those activities at least once or twice a week. Depending on the activity, it could be every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
​For example, when I was growing my business, I made it a point to spend 15 minutes a day reaching out to prospects and people in my network. Whether it was an email, a phone call, or a LinkedIn message, the intention was to reach out to people individually (not a social media post) on a regular basis, and I did see my business grow as a direct result of this commitment.
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​Other people have different ways of measuring their outreach, such as making sure they reach out to a certain number of people each day, week, or month. Again, it’s all about choosing a system that works for you, because that’s the best way to ensure you’ll stick with it.
​If you found these tips helpful and want more strategies for moving your business forward, I wrote a whole book full of tips for growing your business, from launch to marketing. You can get your own copy of the book here, and don’t forget to let me know what you think!
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Givers Gain: Why Generosity Is the Key to a Successful Business

6/14/2022

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​At some point in our lives, we’ve all heard the phrase “what goes around, comes around.” It’s often used in a negative connotation – for example, if you are mean to someone, the saying serves as a warning that it could come back to you. But the saying can just as easily be applied to good things. When you put good out into the world, good things come back to you, and yes that applies to the business world. While it might seem counterintuitive to those who are used to hearing stories of cutthroat businessmen, it’s true that givers gain in business.
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​In this post, we'll explore three reasons why givers gain in business: because they build relationships, they care about their customers, and they focus on giving more than taking.

​Why Givers Gain in Business

​When you're generous with your time, your knowledge, and your resources, you not only make the world a better place, but you also set yourself up for success.
​This is because people love to do business with those who are giving. They appreciate the opportunity to work with someone who is willing to help them out without asking for anything in return. And when it comes time to ask for something, people are more likely to say yes because you've done so much for them. Everything you've given will find a way back to you.

​Givers Gain by Creating a Positive Feedback Loop

​It's a basic law of the universe that the more you give, the more you gain. This applies to everything from the simple act of giving someone a smile to the most complex financial transaction.
​There are countless ways to give in business. For example, the reason you see so many consultants offering free consultations? It’s because they use that conversation to help their prospect, and by doing so, they demonstrate the value they provide to their clients. They give away free knowledge in the beginning of the relationship so they can gain a new client.
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​There are plenty of other ways to give in business. Want more referrals? Give referrals to the people in your network and they’ll be more inclined to return the favor.
​Want prospects to understand how knowledgeable you are on a given topic? Write content and/or give presentations with actionable tips they can use in their day-to-day lives. When they’re ready for more, they’ll know to come to you because of what you already gave them.

​What You Gain by Giving to Your Customers

​When you give to your customers, they feel appreciated and special. They know you value them, and that you're not just out for yourself. This builds trust, which is the foundation for a strong relationship between you and your customers, and since businesses are built on relationships, your business will grow as a result.
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​Prospects will be more likely to become customers, customers will be more likely to buy from you again, refer you to their friends, and give you positive reviews. They’ll want to see you succeed because you'll have demonstrated that you care about them.

​Conclusion

​When you give, you're opening yourself up to receive. So go ahead and give. Give your time, your resources, and your love. When you do, you'll find that the more you give, the more you gain in every aspect of your life.
​If you found these tips helpful and would like to dig into more strategies you can use to grow your business, I have a whole book to help you out. It takes you through the entire process of starting and growing your business, from the foundation, to getting the word out, and you can get your copy here.
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How to Scale Your Business Without Working Longer Hours

6/7/2022

1 Comment

 
​Most small business owners want to grow their business, but if it feels like you’re already working as many hours as you can squeeze into a day, it can be hard to figure out how to scale your business to serve even more clients without foregoing sleep altogether.

Admittedly, sometimes it’s necessary to work long hours, especially in the beginning stages of scaling your business, but it is possible to grow your business and make more money without working longer hours, even if yours is a service-based business. In some cases, you might even end up working fewer hours, but there is a strategy behind it. Since I’m the Strategy Rockstar, let’s talk about how to scale your business without working longer hours.

​​How to Scale Your Business Through Delegation

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​​The first step to scaling your business without working longer hours is to delegate the tasks that you don’t like/need to do. I have an assistant who does everything from data entry to managing my calendar. I’ve also been working on building a marketing team to create and implement a marketing plan for my business so I don’t have to worry about those tasks. They do what they do best and help me build my business while I get to focus on serving my clients.
​​Delegating in your business is important, but it’s also worth mentioning that you don’t have to restrict your delegating to just your business. As my business has grown, my assistant has taken over some personal assistant responsibilities as well as helping me in my business so I can continue growing my business without worrying about some of those domestic tasks falling through the cracks.

​How to Scale Your Business by Getting the Right People on Your Team

Delegating can be scary for entrepreneurs and small business owners who often feel like they have to do everything themselves, and it’s true that things can go horribly wrong if you hire the wrong people. 

The key is to hire the right people so you don’t have to micromanage everything they do. I meet with my marketing team regularly to make sure we have a strategy in place, but once the meeting is over, I trust them to do what they need to do because they are experts in their respective fields. Meanwhile, I get to work with the clients that are coming in the door through their efforts, which makes everything run smoothly while building my business.
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​​How to Scale Your Business with Help from a Strategy Rockstar

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​​If you’re ready to take things to the next level, but you’re still not sure how to scale your business in a way that’s sustainable, it might be time to talk to a Strategy Rockstar. You can schedule your FREE clarity call now so we can talk about how I can help scale your business without losing sleep.

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    Why Morsels? 

    Business advice,
    like chocolate chips,
    is best digested
    a handful of morsels at a time.  I think we'd all agree that devouring a lot of either all at once can be too much for the average person to handle..

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