I've had a hard time figuring out how to talk to you about this.

I never want to be a dream killer. Or a bummer.

If you're thinking of creating and launching a signature program, I want you to do it. AND I'm gonna talk about one of the hardest parts of that today.

Then I'll talk about how to handle this hard part. I promise.

In Create Your Program, I help a small group of therapists create their high quality, high touch, niched programs. And then I help them launch those programs so that they can actually start making money.

Those programs bring these entrepreneurs significant ongoing incomes.

Some folks choose to shrink or close their therapy practices or leave their agency jobs once their programs are established.

AND…one really hard part of that whole process is launching the program, especially for the first time.

Launching basically means sharing your program with people.

Launching involves two really hard things: being more visible and asking for help.

You have to be visible when you launch because you need to share your program with people so that they can sign up to work with you.

You have to ask for help because you need other people to help you spread the word.

Launching isn't the hardest part of the process at all in terms of skills and it's not the most time consuming part either. But emotionally it can be really hard, especially for sensitive souls.

We feel vulnerable and exposed when we launch, and we might even worry that we're bugging people.

On top of that, most of the people in Create Your Program haven't launched this kind of program before, so these are new muscles they're using.

Launching can even give them queasy feelings.

And when something is emotionally hard, and makes one feel queasy, one finds a way to avoid it.

In Create Your Program, up until now I always walked people all the way up to that launching finish line. Participants got training and structure from me to create their launch plan. I encouraged them to take the brave final steps and even asked people to take some of that action on the final day of our program.

And some people did that! I ask participants to share their announcement emails with me, which are the emails they send out to their colleagues and communities.

I always received some on the final day of the program, and a bunch more in the following couple of weeks.

Lots of people would use the momentum of the program to follow through and continue implementing.

But some others would put it off.

They'd say they weren't quite ready.

They'd say they started reconsidering their niche.

They'd say life started getting in the way so they didn't get around to it yet.

Or many other valid things.

Side note:

As a very direct coach, I'll tell you that these are people who really wanted to launch!

They were ready enough, and they had already done enough work on their niches. They had indeed done everything they needed to do in order to launch their pilot programs.

When I was describing this issue to my former business coach Claire Pelletreau, she said: "You have to walk them all the way over the finish line."

And I knew she was right.

Immediately I made a change to Create Your Program.

And I'll describe that in a minute.

Let's talk about HOW we get ourselves over the finish line to accomplishing hard things in our businesses and lives in general.

Well, there's accountability and support. Those help.

But you know what else helps?

A Hard Ass Deadline.

Accountability buddies usually don't cut it for the really hard stuff. They're helpful for getting focused, but not necessarily for getting over the finish line with the very hardest things.

Now I've got 2 short examples for you: Taxes and Art.

This just came up for me around my taxes.

I get intimidated by the process of my taxes every single year.

I've been trying to get my documents toghether to give my accountant for a while now. My accountant has a policy that once you turn in all your documents to her, THEN you can schedule an appointment. I called the office and begged them to please give me an appointment first and promised I'd get the docs turned in 2 weeks before that appointment. And they agreed. Phew. Now I have a Hard Ass Deadline.

As you're listening to or reading this on or after March 19th, I promise you I've already handed in my documents to my accountant.

My partner is a neon artist. They're also a neon sign maker. Most days they make and repair neon signs for people and businesses, or they create the neon aspects of art pieces for other artists.

But they make incredible art themself. AND almost all of the art they create happens when they've got a show coming up. Because being part of a show means having a deadline.

They sometimes say: "I SHOULD make more art. I WANT to make more art."

They talk to their artist friends about making art. They get inspired thinking about what they'd like to make.

But it's the deadline that gets them past all the hard parts and forces them to create wonderful pieces, some of which I won't let them sell because I need to see them in our house every day.

Back to how we changed Create Your Program:

We've added an 11th week.

After meeting weekly for 10 weeks, we amp it up in the final week with more meetings and more support.

Here's the Hard Ass Deadline: You have to submit the registration page for your pilot program in order to attend week 11.

During week 11, you take steps to launch your program while we are together.

You walk over the finish line with me and your cohort in real time.

It's called Nausea Week.

That's because getting visible and asking for help are really hard to do. And during nausea week, you'll be doing both of those things.

It's worth it.

When you actually launch your program, you're WAY closer to creating the business you want.

And you get to start serving the people you made your program for.

I would LOVE to have you join me for Create Your Program.

We're enrolling right now and the last day to sign up is March 26th. We're already half full, so please register now.

I can't wait to help you walk over the finish line and launch your signature program!

Register at https://rebeltherapist.me/create

Show notes at https://rebeltherapist.me/podcast/221