First, a caveat. This is not a paint-by-numbers process, guaranteed to produce the result you see on the box as long as you fill in the shapes with their appropriately numbered paint colors.
This is more like sewing a scrap quilt. There are no rules. No directions. No restrictions on what colors to use, or which patterns to follow. There’s just you, and a pile of fabric options. You can use all of them or some, it doesn’t matter. It’s your quilt, after all.
The plan is simple. Just sew the pieces together in a way that seems to make sense and that appeals to you. Sometimes it works, and sometimes you have to rip it out and start over. In the end—if you are persistent—you’ll have a beautiful quilt that keeps you warm and that you’re proud to have made.
Business is like that, too. Instead of following someone else’s instructions, you can simply make up your own. And you know what? The end result is a whole lot more satisfying than painting by numbers.
Let’s get into it.
Step 1: Do something
Now, the exact “something” here is going to depend on where you’re going and why. If you’re starting an Instagram account because you want to drive traffic to your blog, that’s a different thing than if you’re trying to get your book on the bestseller list.
In the first scenario, you’d probably want to work out a posting schedule, some calls to action, maybe get some photos lined up, or even record some reels. In the second, you might start reaching out to podcasts for interview spots, or research how Amazon ads work.
The point is to figure out which thing might move you in the direction you want to go, then do that thing.
Right now, it’s ok if you’re just guessing what might work. Maybe you saw someone you admire do a similar thing and you want to give it a try. Or maybe you think, “Oh! That sounds interesting and fun. I’ll do that!” Either way, make a plan, and get to work on it.
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A word of caution though: you should be prepared to do that thing for longer than you think, initially.
We’ve been sold a lie that everything should be fast and easy. I’d love it if it were true, but it’s not. Creating anything of value takes time. Overnight success only happens after months of work that went largely unnoticed.
Pick your something and get to work at it. Do it consistently and frequently over time, then move on to step two.
Step 2: Evaluate the results
Did the thing you tried work? I don’t mean did it make you rich or thin or get you on the Today show, but did it move you in the right direction, even slightly?
- Is your number of Instagram followers trending upward?
- Is your mailing list growing?
- Did you sell more books this month than last month?
- Did you book one or two or five podcast interviews?
Any of those things indicate positive results. They’re evidence that your plan is working. Congratulations!
If, on the other hand, you still have five email subscribers and no engagement on Instagram, then your hypothesis didn’t pan out. Your plan didn’t work, and that’s ok, as long as you followed the plan.
If it didn’t work out because you gave up on day 12, that’s a different kind of evidence, and I’ll talk more about that in a minute. First, let’s cover the final step towards inevitable success.
Step 3: Choose your next move
It’s decision time. Based on your results, is this action something you should stop doing or continue to pursue—perhaps even increase?
Back in 2012, as a brand new business owner in search of clients, I did two things as a part of step 1:
- I started a blog
- I posted ads on Craig’s List
Early on, two clients found me through the blog. Zero clients came to me through Craig’s list.
What did I do? I stopped posting on Craig’s List, and continued with the blog. In other words, I followed the evidence and continued to do what was working, while letting go of what didn’t work.
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I didn’t decide that this business just wasn’t for me because Craig’s List didn’t work. I just crossed it off my list of possible marketing channels.
I also didn’t close up shop because I “only” had two clients. Instead, I took that as evidence that more clients would follow, and—spoiler alert—they did!
I didn’t just stop there, either. I took that time I’d spent on Craig’s List and redirected it into other things. I went back to step 1 and chose something different to try next.
I did that over and over again. The result of that simple three-step process is success every single time. It can’t not work, if you follow the process.
But there is one more important piece to consider. One that can cause your entire plan to crumble before you ever see evidence of success.
Make intentional decisions
Back in step one, I asked you to do something. I hinted that the exact nature of that “something” was less important than just doing it, and that’s true… to a point.
But imagine for a moment that your goal is to have a thriving coaching business. Maybe you’ve taken a course on marketing, or you follow some successful coaches in your niche, and they all say the same thing: Facebook lives are the key to finding clients.
All the top coaches are going live every week and making great connections and yes, even landing clients.
The only problem is, you hate being on camera, and the thought of doing so live is terrifying. What’s more, you really dislike social media.
What do you think the odds are that you’ll show up consistently to do something you dislike? They’re bad enough that not even the most optimistic gambler would bet on you.
A better choice is to follow this piece of advice: Make decisions for who you are, not who you aspire to be.
If who you are is an off-camera, social-media averse coach, don’t try to force yourself into a business mold that doesn’t fit. That’s a path to failure, not success, and it doesn’t matter how many people have proven it to work. If it doesn’t work for you, that’s all that matters.
Success comes when what you do is in alignment with who you already are. Do that, and follow the steps above, and you will 100% guarantee your success.
Don’t believe me? Make a list of all the things you’ve successfully done. Things like:
- Convince your spouse to marry you
- Save for a downpayment on a house
- Raise kids who are kind and loving and who make the world a better place
- Plant a garden
- Graduate from university
- Get a new job
Every one of those successes followed these three steps. You did something, you evaluated the results, and you chose your next move based on those results. Consciously or not, you followed the steps, and you were successful.
Imagine what can happen when you use this approach intentionally to grow your business.
