Some are early enough in business that the Feast and Famine experience hasn’t reared its head, but most who have been in for awhile have seen this play out, and it ain’t pretty.
It starts when you finally figure out or learn how to bring at least some clients in. It works, and clients arrive.
Eventually you get busy with these clients, and you do less of, or stop doing entirely, those things that brought the clients in. But it’s okay, you’re loving working with your clients, and getting paid!
Then, inevitably, one of your clients completes with you and moves on. “Okay,” you say to yourself, “No sweat. It’s just one client.” Then another completes. And another.
Soon your schedule is a bit more open than you are comfortable with, so you decide it’s time to go and get some clients, so you start doing those things again that worked last time.
Too late, the famine is upon you. Some mighty lean weeks or even months crop up. You work really hard, and clients start coming back in again. And so the cycle repeats.
Painful, isn’t it?
What’s happening seems easy to pinpoint: the business owner gets busy and stops doing the marketing and sales work that needs to be done. This is true, but there’s more going on as well.
There are a few factors that contribute to this cycle, and I want to name them for you.
1. Marketing and sales has not been made sustainable.
When you learn how to bring in clients, you’re usually doing a whole bunch of things to make your marketing work, and so it’s hard to know which of those things is truly essential. What can you stop doing, or do less of, without risking your client flow, and what do you not want to drop no matter what?
2. Marketing and sales has not been systematized.
In the beginning everything is done by hand, which is perfect. It’s the way it’s supposed to be, mostly. But, as you get a handle on what needs to happen, some things can be put into systems. This way the majority of your energy is going only toward where your heart and creativity are really needed, and not in just doing behind the scenes tech work, for instance.
3. You never truly found the heart in marketing and sales.
There are a lot of great ideas and strategies out there, and many of them do “work.” I put work in quotes because when your heart doesn’t understand how to do the work in a way that feels nourishing, in integrity, and coming from love, eventually it rebels and refuses to let you do the work.
This is a particularly important point. When something is new, and it seems to work, the novelty factor can carry you forward. But, after a few weeks or months, your heart will eventually make itself known. “Umm… that thing you’re doing that seems to work?” your heart tells you, “We’re not doing that anymore.” And pffffftttttt goes your motivation.
If you want to consistently do marketing so that your business has a chance of thriving over the years, you have to find the love in it… and discard the things that don’t have love in them.
4. There’s more to business besides marketing and sales.
It all seems so simple in the beginning. Bring in a client, work with the client. But it doesn’t take long before accounting, bookkeeping, record-keeping, content delivery, resolving client complaints and issues, handling tech with your website, and on and on… you start to get overwhelmed. It’s too much!
The truth is that the feast and famine cycle isn’t just a problem with marketing and sales versus serving clients. A solo business isn’t rocket science, and yet it has more than a handful of moving parts.
My experience of being in business is that it was a LOT of work… until I got to a certain point. I had systems in place, I understood the basic elements of my business, clients were coming in pretty consistently, and I really loved (or at least understood and could connect to my heart with) what needed to be done.
It was at that point I found myself taking afternoons off, having a relaxed schedule, really enjoying myself and my clients.
Despite what some folks like to say, there is no magic bullet, no “one thing” that solves it all. In fact, if I were going to say there is one thing, it’s the realization that there is no one thing, and you need to work your way, as clearly as possible, through the different pieces your business needs to be sustainable, enjoyable, and profitable.
Here’s my advice. give yourself a good year or two to focus on business development. Name the pieces of your business that need attention. Here’s a few of them: Financial recording keeping and accounting, website and tech, marketing (which actually involves at least three different pieces), sales (which is different than marketing), managing information (like client records, email, and lots of little details like class outlines, handouts and such).
For each piece, give it some serious attention. Not just for a day or a week. Learn what that piece of your business needs. Put systems and processes in place to care for it. As you get to know it, make it work for you, so you can love it.
It will seem slow going at first, and that’s true. But, over months you will see serious progress. A year or two from now, your business will be unrecognizable, because it will be working smoothly! You might be really enjoying yourself, and have a MUCH easier time. Isn’t *that* an exciting thought?
I will say one more thing: finding your ease in business should not be entirely dependent on getting to a certain place. Why? Because a sense of ease is what will help you maintain your sanity as you do the work you need to do, as you put the pieces in place. A sense of ease is what keeps panic at bay and allows you to find the wisest, most efficient path forward.
Ease is the next topic I’m going to be talking about, and I interviewed our star practitioner Yollana about the question of finding ease. You won’t want to miss it. It seems like a “soft” topic (“Just tell me how to get clients!”), but if you’ve been reading this article, then you know it’s not as simple as just getting clients.
It’s about having a sustainable, enjoyable, profitable business.
So keep an eye out for that interview with Yollana, it arrives for you tomorrow.
At this point I want to make the perhaps obvious transition to mentioning our year-long Opening the Moneyflow 2014 program. We’ve taught this program for years, and it’s one of the few places in the world where you can get hands-on individual coaching and support, an in-depth library of heart-centered business materials, a clear, tested curriculum, and profound spiritual support and healing to do exactly what I’ve been writing about.
In short, we help you to learn and implement all the little elements that allow your business to move into, and stay in, momentum.
We’ve been receiving applications already, and there are only 19 spots to join us for 2014. Plus, there’s a nice little incentive if you decide to join before December heads our way. Call it an “early enrollment thank you.”
Please take a look. It’s not for everyone. But when it’s right I think it’s one of the best programs of its kind in existence. Take a look, and fill out an application.
Read here: Opening the Moneyflow 2014
In addition to the interview on ease coming tomorrow, next week I’m leading a no-cost teleclass on Tuesday, November 26, 1 p.m. pacific, to teach you about Client Flow: How to reliably attract more clients without burning out or losing the ease in your business.
I’m going to be teaching the specific elements that are needed to make your business work without overwhelm, getting at the solutions to the problems raised in this article.
I’ll also be upfront: I’m hoping to inspire the right people to join us for the year long program. Most of the time will be teaching, a bit of time will be taken to explain Opening the Moneyflow, and there will be time for open Q&A.
Want to join me? You just have to click here and we’ll get you the registration information.
In the meantime, let’s discuss the feast or famine cycle!
Peace,
Mark
