Lessons & gratitude from my first year in business

This time last year I was filled with excitement and terror, about equal parts! 2014 was to be my very first year where I had real time to focus on only my coaching and consulting business. Serious stuff – the real deal – now or never type scenario!

It has been a year filled with ups and downs there is no doubt about it. One of the biggest highs – in May this year I matched my corporate salary for the first time = big high. In September this year I was in hospital with a lung collapse and I felt like my business was going to collapse around me too = big low. I am here now though and feeling very positive about the future – so excited about the year ahead because of the potential.

Through all of this there are things I have learnt that I wanted to share with you since it might help you on your own business journey.

This list is by no means exhaustive – the fact is I could go on forever I feel at this point but here is just a few:

Fear is a little hanger

He comes and goes. You have to learn to just say “hi, I see you there, but you are not going to stop me”, and keep on walking.

Build a support network around you

Even when you are working alone as an entrepreneur or a micro-business owner, you are never alone. Support can come in many forms. From a Business or Life Coach, a mastermind, your own business network, your friends, your family. Probably many of these in some way. Nurture these relationships, don’t be afraid to ask for help, never feel like you are on your own. Reach out in person, online, or on the phone. Someone will understand, someone will be able to help you.

Find the best way for you to work

Don’t look at what other people are doing online and think that is the best thing for you. Beautiful pictures of home offices with views of the ocean might stir feelings of “I want exactly that and I want it now” in you but you need to find your own space – literally and figuratively speaking! Because if you don’t know in your heart what will work for you, when you get that desk and you get that view you might just find that you are not happy there.

For me I have learnt this year that as an “e” for extrovert according to Myers-Briggs I love being around people. I know this to be true. I want to work in my own business – I am absolutely loving what I am doing right now – and I want to be around other people too. Working on my own in my gorgeous home office – that I am really grateful to have – is not going to be for me in the long term. I love people – love being around them, love the energy of a room filled with busyness and vibe and thinking, love brainstorming, love helping others – the list goes on. So, pretty soon I will be working a mix of at home and in a new shared workspace. I know this is going to help lift me in my own business. For you, the opposite could be true. Just find your own ideal room.

Find your own voice

What you have to say and what you have to offer IS unique AND valuable. Don’t try to be someone else or something that you are not – it’s just not worth it.  Plus it’s so much more exhausting!

Invest in yourself and your business

You are worth it and it is worth it – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Know your worth

Understand that you are valuable in this world and you have something genuinely worthwhile to offer. You can’t build a sustainable business by undercharging. Even though you might feel that you are being of service by keeping your prices capped, are you going to be of service to anyone if your business doesn’t exist because it wasn’t profitable enough? Nope.

Do whatever it takes to get past the money blocks that are keeping your from earning more money.

 

Oh so many – I don’t want to miss any – let’s move on to dot points for your sake!

• Listen to your intuition
• Have a plan – a financial plan & a marketing plan
• Share your stories – good and bad
• Pick the right clients, for you, and don’t be afraid to walk away when its not working – all the money in the world is not worth it and they are just taking up space for the right people to come in to your world (kind of like a bad boyfriend right?!)
• Know your strengths
• Get over trying to create a steady income
• Celebrate your successes – reward yourself, give yourself the review that no one else is going to
• It’s OK to boost your income with other means while you are building your ideal business – in fact it can be quite liberating and provide the space you need in your business to actually make it work

 

OK – now that looks like a pretty good content calendar for my blog right there! I will flesh some of these out for you in the future but in the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to hit reply and let me know.

I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Here’s to a wonderful, joyful & abundant 2015 for you,

Kate xo

When it comes to marketing and building a business it is ok to do it the way you want to. I talk to so many people – myself included – who feel so much pressure to do things the way everyone else is doing them.

Blogging, social media, webinars, e-courses – the list is long. She is doing this so I should too. This is how she got 10,000 people on her list. So I better do that. This is how she matched her corporate salary a week after she left her job so I should do that. I see so and so on social media every single day – sometimes all day – I really have to do that too.

Give yourself permission to do it your way.

Conversations I have had with people recently are about having a break from social media, about not wanting to write a weekly blog post, feeling like they have to create an ecourse, feeling like they are not succeeding because they haven’t reached that income goal they thought they would, “I know I have to do a webinar but I really don’t want to”.

I think so many people only see the pointy end of success and don’t realise that more often that not it takes people years to get to this point that they are now telling the world about. Good on them! And I totally think they should celebrate their successes but you have to be aware of their back story. How long has it really taken for them to reach that point? What work were they doing in the background building their tribe, writing their blog, working with clients all long before they left the safety net of their paid employment?

Naturally you are probably thinking right now but Kate, seriously, you are a marketing chick you know that consistency is key when it comes to your marketing and building you business. Yes – this is true! But what I really want you to know is that you have to find what works for you when it comes to your marketing. What works for you in terms of actually building your brand profile and your business revenue? What works for you personally in terms of it just feels good to do? You don’t have to be all over social media – just pick a couple that you like and go with them – and if the whole thing is driving you crazy just have a break from it. You don’t have to blog every week if this is seeing you tortured to the point of agony over the blog post you have to write – imagine the affect this would have on the way you write.

Remember this is your business, you have control, you are in the drivers seat and this is about creating something you love. Yes its hard work and yes there are times when it is tough and you do have to occasionally do things you don’t want to – but not often! Certainly not every day.

When it comes to marketing you have to find your own style, your own medium and your own voice. What works for someone else is not necessarily going to work for you.

Do it your way. If you love it, your clients will love it too. If you are hating it, well chances are it’s not going to be that appealing to anyone else either.

You have to show up, absolutely, but show up your way.

Kate xo

I wanted to talk to you about giving yourself a break.  

So many clients I work with are so hard on themselves when they don’t achieve what they set out to do.  This could be anything from tackling your to do list, creating more sales, building your email list, attracting more clients – the list is almost endless.

Yesterday I had a really average day.  It started with a ramped up version of the usual getting to school and kinder on time.  One didn’t want to go.  And that just about says it all.

By the time I got home to my desk I was shattered. That was at 9am.  I was exhausted, I was upset, and I was feeling like a shit mum and a crappy business chick.  Everything came down on me like a tonne of bricks and nothing was working no matter how hard I tried.

So, at 10am, I declared my very first sick day (well morning at least) of the year.  And I went back to bed. I closed my eyes and I woke up 2 hours later.  Man did I need that sleep.  Yes, I am so grateful that I could do that.  After that, the day got fractionally better but I knew I still needed an early night last night to try to move past the way I was feeling physically and emotionally.

Today, I feel so much better. I have more energy and I have more hope.  I am more positive and I am more capable.

I know that if I had pushed through yesterday the opposite would be true and I would still be sitting here struggling.

So many women I know just don’t give themselves the break or the time they need to recover, ever, and the effect is dramatic.

I would love for you to do this for yourself the very next time you are feeling, well, just not ok.  I know it’s not always possible, but please try.

You know what, the sun is shining so brightly today there is part of me that even thinks the weather has got my back right now I am feeling so damn good!

Take care of yourself!

Today is my birthday and when I woke up I thought to myself I seriously need to turn up the gratitude a notch.   I need to write write write everything I am grateful for and I need to shout it to the work, because I have had the most amazing year. 

I have been spoilt with a weekend of delicious dinner with my husband, lunch with family and movies with kids for my birthday and today there will be more food, wine and cake.  Yes cake.  (Sorry 12WBT I will refocus tomorrow!)

So here goes…

I am just so blow my mind grateful for the support I get from my husband in creating my business and in creating the dream life I so want for my family.  Without him I could not do what I do and I don’t say thank you enough.  In fact sometimes I am a grumpy bitch frankly, and sometimes he is so frustrating I could scream (hello jocks on the floor / dog on the couch / kids in beds with iPods!!!) OK Sorry, refocus 🙂 Honestly though I am so truly grateful for his loyalty, even though we are not perfect. I just think about how blessed I am for the fact that we are together and on the same team, creating a world filled with hope and possibility for our beautiful 3.

I am grateful for the huge posse of supportive women in my life, for the power of the divine feminine coming to life in the world around me (yes I seriously believe that), for life long friends, for new friends, for new babes I have met on my entrepreneurial journey.  For those women who just support me, don’t judge me, don’t resent me, don’t blame me, just support, I love you girls!

My children, my heart is exploding with love and thanks that they are here in my life, I waited for them for a long time, and they are perfect. Yes, they are challenging, and I do have mixed feelings about school holidays I must admit!  Sometimes I wonder if I am doing a good job as their mum; but as someone said to me recently “Don’t worry Kate you just need to keep them alive until they are 18 and then they can have therapy to fix all the mistakes you make.”  Ha!  She was joking of course, but at times I do get overwhelmed with making sure I am being the best I can be for them.  I understand so much more now but I still know I need to keep learning everyday to do the best job I can with them.  To build them into happy, caring and resilient people.  Starting my own business is very much about them and making sure I can be the Mum I want to be in their lives.  They teach me everyday, seriously, it rocks my world how much I learn from these divine little creatures.  They are funny, smart, beautiful, cute, cheeky, naughty, strong, fragile, warm, snuggly, growing, absorbing, intriguing, wonderful, new, talented, caring, intuitive, amazing little people.  I could go on and on and on.  Now the tears are flowing.

For my business – how lucky I am to be able to work with the incredible people I do; to have found my zone of pure joy at work, bringing dreams and visions to life, bringing clarity and focus and calm to people’s businesses and lives.  I still cannot believe it sometimes, I literally pinch myself with “I have totally found what I am MEANT to do” moments often these days.

And for you, for everyone in this amazing space and place and tribe who lets me write to them, who reads my words, who trusts me to be part of their lives in some way no matter how big or small, who supports me and who allows me to build my business into something I love that can genuinely help more and more people turn dreams into reality.

I know there is more but I can’t write it all now.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Happy 30th of June everyone 🙂

How I cleared my money blocks from Kate McCormack on Vimeo.

Defining your brand is not always easy.  To help people focus on this I sometimes encourage them to think about the brand as if it was a person.

Really dive deep into how this brand makes you feel when you are with them.

Do you want to be seen out with this brand?

Does this brand have a positive affect on the way people think about you?

Does this brand detract from what people might think of you?

Does it make you look cool / smart / beautiful / tall?

Does it make you look like a total geek / like a tool / like a fool?

When you are hanging out with this brand are you like – this brand is totally for me?  This brand gets me? This brand understands me?

Or, are you more like; I don’t like the way this brand makes me feel? I feel awkward when I’m with this brand? I have o try too hard when I’m with this brand? I can’t just be me when I’m around this brand.

If you were describing the way your brand looked to someone what kid of words would you use – beautiful, caring, thoughtful, tender, enticing?

Or would you find yourself using words like aggressive, tough, unattractive, exclusive, annoying?!

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about all of these questions.

If you are finding your brand is not exactly sounding like a great person think about how you can improve things.  In the way your brand is portrayed – how people see you brand, your logo, your blog posts, your social media, the way people talk about your brand – how can you start to build your brand into the person that you love again and that your customers want to know and want to be around.

This doesn’t have to happen overnight, just gradually evolve your brand over time so that you are taking its hand and leading it along the path in the right direction.

Because unlike people, brands do change 😉

This is synergy. I love this concept, and really want to talk to you about how important it is for your brand.

Officially it is defined by the oxford dictionary as:

“The interaction or cooperation of two or more organisations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.”

For us this means that when every single part of our brand holds the same values, feelings and characteristics that the impact of our brand is bigger than each item individually. It’s about being consistent and never wavering from the clear vision and definition you have of your brand.

I think it’s useful to start with an example from a big brand to help you visualize how this might translate to your own business and brand.

Let’s think about one of the biggest brands of all time – Nike. And the tick. And the tagline “Just Do It.” Think about all the meaning people attach to this brand, the symbol and the words. Every single place you see, feel or hear this brand it represents the same message / voice / attitude / feeling / look and more. In the consumers minds there can be no doubt as to what the brand means to them.

Now imagine if that brand was more like this:

1. On TV they use Mary Poppins as the spokesperson
2. In magazines they use Wreck It Ralph as their spokesperson
3. They sponsor events such as King Kong the musical and the local French language competition
4. Their runners no longer show the tick
5. Women can only buy pink apparel and men blue

 

Seriously? You would be like what the? I don’t even know who you are anymore Nike!  You used to mean I had to just get out there and get some skin in the game – but now what? Now, if I wear your brand what am I going to be saying to people about me? Way too much room for interpretation, who knows what people might think about me, I’m just not going to risk it.

Now let’s translate this into what it means for a smaller business, or for your brand. Every time a customer interacts with your brand on some level they will experience some type of feeling or emotion. When they see you on facebook, have an email conversation with you, read your blog, meet you at an event, see an article in an online magazine – the list is endless.  If you are representing your brand consistently the affect of all these touchpoints will have far greater synergy and a more positive impression, than if they were getting mixed inconsistent messages each time they came across your brand in the world.

This is why it is so important to have a really clearly defined brand, no matter how big or small you are, it is always important.

Synergy – I love this word! How can you get more of this going on in your business today?

I am now a qualified life coach and I am very proud of myself for doing this.  There I said it!  No, just kidding – it’s a little bit more meaningful that that. 🙂

The real question to ask though is what me being a life coach means for you – for anyone who reads my blog, or works with me or follows me on social media.  This is the reason why, when I already have an MBA under my belt, I felt the need to learn more about how I could help you.  Because I know that when it comes to your business there is far more to just strategy & plans & taking action that will lead to your success.  So much of what people really struggle with are actually mindset issues.

Fear, self-doubt, fixed mindset, self-sabotage, scarcity mentality, negative self talk and more – all very powerful, but without question all matters of the mind that need to be overcome to take big leaps forward in your business.

Becoming a life coach means that I can help you on an even deeper level to create your dream life by building a business that you love.  I can work through these big mindset challenges with you and help you build the self-confidence you need to really put yourself out there as the face of your business.

So, while we will still spend most of our time together focusing on building business strategies and plans for your to launch or up level your business, when these issues come up – and they will – I will be able to help you work through them more easily.

If you are looking at doing a Life Coaching course by the way I couldn’t recommend the Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy more highly.  The perfect mix of coaching training and teaching you how to actually build your business is exactly what any life coach needs.  Julie Parker’s authentic and passionate voice is one that you could listen to for days. She shares her own knowledge and experience that has led to great success in her life coaching business and if you follow her formula you will no doubt be able to build your own successful coaching practice.

If you are thinking about doing this take the leap – it will be so worth it!  Not only because of what you learn about coaching but what you will learn about yourself – a nice little ‘side affect’ of working with this amazing woman!

In the interest of full disclosure I am an affiliate for the Beautiful You Coaching Academy – but there is no way I would put my hand on my heart and recommend this to anyone if I didn’t fully believe in just how great it is.

If you are interested click on the image below to read all about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And as always thanks for reading!

 

When I tell people that I have a Business Coach, some look at me a bit confused and others go “yep, totally get it”.

You see for me, having my own wildly intelligent, successful and inspiring Business Coach means many things.  There is no doubt that she is a big part of keeping me headed in the right direction in my business – up!  But it’s so much more than that.

The other benefits may not always be so tangible. 

Like when I am undervaluing myself and not charging enough no one else is going to tell me to get over this are they?  Like, hell girl you have an MBA and 18 years experience in this game you are worth so much more than that.  Put a higher value on yourself – don’t question it, just know it, just do it for Gods sake.

Or, when I am having a bad month, things aren’t exactly flowing the way I would like, and my Inner Bitch sneaks in and takes over my mind.  With little bombs of “Kate, seriously, what are you doing?! It’d be so much more reliable to just go back to that corporate salary.  I just don’t know if you are cut out for this!  You are just not as good as her, that’s why she is so successful and your just not cutting the mustard right now.” Go away you Inner Mean Cow!  My Coach calls me on this shit – she doesn’t indulge my fears by saying well maybe you should be worried, she says “acknowledge it and move the hell on, do not let that stop you.  It’s perfectly normal”.  Breakdown averted!

And when I am just struggling with the day to day, for whatever reason, she is therefor me, with accountability and encouragement.  Teaching me how to work when I am not answerable to anyone but me – I’ve had a boss for a long time and now the buck stops with me.  Even at this stage of the game I can still learn more about the disciplines of business.  About how to stay focused.

When I have a big win, of course my husband is happy, my friends are supportive but no one knows how damn hard I have worked for this like my Business Coach does.  And she is genuinely almost as excited as me to celebrate my successes.  After all my success is her success isn’t it?

Helping me to keep on going when the road is bumpy when you are just starting out – that’s ok.  Reminding me that I am playing the long game, and everything I am doing might not be instantly rewarded financially but it will be in the end.  If I am committed, if I stay the course, I will absolutely succeed.  I am worth it.  This is worth it.

The other big one is this – I don’t know everything! I know, I shocked myself writing this!!!  Surrounding yourself with people who are smart, to support you in our business or even at work, is an intelligent thing to do.  I am grateful for everything she has taught me.  So grateful to be able to brainstorm with someone who I know, knows their stuff.  Two minds are totally better than one.  I trust that she shares with me every single secret she can impart about what she has already learnt in making her business a raving success.  This is stuff it could take me years to learn myself – sometimes the hard way.  I’m accelerating my success by working with her.

You see when you are in the thick of all these feelings and emotions that are such a big part of starting your own business, while you rationally might know most of this already, that can all go out the window.  You can lose things easily – focus, momentum, belief – all gone with one bad thought or one bad moment.  And let’s face it not many of us have someone who can just give us all this support in our lives – after all our family and friends have their own lives don’t they?  You need to be supported in this way when you have your own business.  And that’s exactly what a Business Coach is for.

Sure, I’ll be hitting my goal of matching my corporate salary within 12 months of starting my business, no doubt about it.  My Business Coach is unquestionably a part of that.  Having her on my team is what I would call one of my “non-negotiables” – a Critical Success Factor to help me achieve this.  But that’s not the most important reason.  Or why I think I am so damn clever to have a Business Coach! 😉

Thanks for reading,

Kate xo

Yep, I totally do.

I’m not just saying that either, and here is the reason why.  Because I know that every single person has it in them to go after their dreams, to build a business, to build or rebuild a life, to get that degree, to get that job, to build that website, to write that blog post, to put that meal on the table, to go for that run, to do whatever it is. Whatever YOUR thing is.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s easy.  At all.  I’m not saying that it’s not easier for some than it is for others easier. I get that.  Is it easier for someone who still lives with their parents with no responsibility at all to start a blog or a business? Damn straight it is, operationally at least. They don’t have to worry about bills or food or anything really other than building their business.  Compare that to a mother of two working full time and trying to start her own business on the side.  Different? Yes. Harder? No doubt.  But is it their life stage or circumstances that are going to make or break either of these women? No, it’s not.  They can both succeed with the right mindset.  With the right amount of self belief.  With the conviction they need to get that business off the ground.  

If they believe in themselves.

In the last few years I have learnt a lot about myself and that includes more and more about my mindset and about how I have been responsible for so many things I used to blame others for.  My pathway through education is a big example of this for me and I don’t mind sharing it here with you now.  I’ve often wondered why, when I was such a smart young girl and started my secondary school with straight A’s in Year 7, I never went on to excel at school. Even when I was lucky enough to be at a great school why didn’t I do so much better? Was it because I changed schools so often? Was it the teenage years? Should my parents have been more strict on me? Was it the product of having divorced parents somehow? Why, even when I left school and after a year finally landed on marketing as my thing, did I still flounder and not really commit?  Why did it take me actually working full time for me to move beyond my Diploma and get my Degree, and then when my work was even more demanding to go on and get my MBA?

Why didn’t I achieve these things earlier in life.  When it would have been so much easier for me to do it?!  What changed? I was still the same person, but the biggest and most important shift happened for me.  

I changed my my mind.  

With age and life experience came the self belief and the positive mindset I needed to reach my potential (I won’t say ‘full’ potential because I believe I still have a hell of a lot more to offer this life).  I made the shift from a mostly fixed mindset to a growth mindset.  And thank God or the Universe or whatever it may be, that change happened for me!

I won’t go into the moments in my life that took me down this path but it was in these moments, dramatic and devastating at the time, that I chose not to be a victim and to take back belief in me and take control of my choices and to make shit happen.  And it wasn’t easy.  It was never easy.  But the alternative was just not an option.  More disappointment, more average, more blame.  It would have got me nowhere.

And it is because of this that I want you to know that I believe in you.  You, who might have the cushiest of lives or the toughest of roads ahead of you but who has the ability to choose belief. To know that there is more.  To know that you deserve what you want. YES YOU DO!  You, who might have a more than average day today but can wake up to a new day tomorrow.  You, whose to do list might be a waste of paper today but will be a shining light tomorrow.  You, who might be recovering from a break up, or a fight or someone ripping the rug out from under your whole life plan to know that it will get better.  You.  Yes every single one of you.

But before this can be meaningful in your life, you have to believe in you.  So make that choice today.

Repeat after me, I believe in me.