We all have hard days. Yes, myself included. When your energy is off, it can take you out of action and prevent you from doing the hard things you need to do to grow your business.

When you run your own business, it can feel like you’re on your own and you’ve just got to get on with it. But the reality is, there are some helpful ways to manage those challenging periods, whether it’s just for an hour or for a couple of days. 

There are strategies you can use to keep working through, while also nurturing and looking after yourself. Today I share some of the things that get me through when I’m having a hard time.

Shifting my body energy, limiting social media scrolling and maintaining healthy eating habits are just some of the practices I’ve adopted to self-soothe and give myself a clear head.

I talk about the peace that comes with being radically self-aware and how to navigate through anxious thoughts. I encourage you to think about what you can do today that will lead to a great outcome in whatever you have in front of you.  

My hope here today is to provide you with some tools and support for you to employ whenever you are having a hard time and facing life’s challenges head-on. 

Previous episode mentioned:

• 65 - The number one mindset tool to change your business (and your life)

Connect With Me:

• Free Download: Ideal Client Avatar Workbook
• Work with me: Business Strategy Workshop | 1:1 Business Accelerator Program
• Join the waitlist:  The Run Your Business Like a Boss Academy
• Instagram
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In today's conversation I step you through who The Academy is for and what you will achieve throughout the program.

Want to join? Click here to enrol in The Academy today, doors for cohort 3 are open until 5pm Friday, 17 February.

Got more questions?
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Today I am joined by special guest Jacinta Dark, business owner of Elsk Botanical. Elsk Botanical is an outdoor design studio that helps you create spaces you want to be in. Jacinta delights in connecting her clients to nature through thoughtful curation and finding those special items that make outdoor spaces a joy to be in.

Jacinta joined us in Cohort One of the Run Your Business Like Boss Academy and she also helped me with my own outdoor space renovation! In this episode, I chat with Jacinta about the messy middle stage of business and how she has built a business model that allows her business to grow while retaining freedom and flexibility.

Elsk Botanical has grown and evolved since it was first started. Javinta explains how she has shifted her offering to focus on functional outdoor living design (a big, emerging industry!) and how she grew her referrals in the early days.

When Jacinta first joined the Run Your Business Like A Boss Academy, she was in a big transition period for her business. She reveals what this looked like and how her journey as a business owner has required her to understand her strengths and what brings her joy. Jacinta shares how transitioned into working full-time in Elsk Botanical and apply her skills from work as an occupational therapist to her business.

Since graduating from the Academy, Jacinta's business has grown in leaps and bounds. She explains her biggest learnings and how group coaching has helped her gain clarity around her offering and connect with a like-minded group of business owners. Jacinta also explains that finding her niche has been one of her most valuable lessons from the Academy. This has allowed her not only to enjoy her work but also to serve her clients better.

Finally, Jacinta shares what’s next for Elsk Botanical in 2023 and her top tip for getting the most out of the Run Your Business Like A Boss Academy.

If you’re in that messy middle stage of business, doing all the things and wondering how you get to that next stage, you’re going to love this conversation.

Previous episodes mentioned:

• 64 - Stalled or stuck in your business? Here's why
• 44 - What to focus on when preparing for next level business growth

Connect with Jacinta Dark:

Website: https://elskbotanical.com/
Instagram: @elskbotanical
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elskbotanical/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com.au/elskbotanical/

Connect With Me:

• Free Download: Ideal Client Avatar Workbook
• Work with me: Business Strategy Workshop | 1:1 Business Accelerator Program
• Join the waitlist:  The Run Your Business Like a Boss Academy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

In episode 87 I shared the importance of stepping in to your future self to achieve your big goals, desires and vision. I had so many DMs about that episode and more specifically the guided visualisation exercise, so I've decided to pull it out and share it separately here as a bonus episode so you can come back to it over and over.

Enjoy.

There is a lot of content out there right now about what to do to have your most successful year yet, but it's just as important to know what not to do. In this episode, I take you through the five things you need to avoid to achieve your goals and have your best year yet.

Firstly, stop listening to all the people. It may seem like the more people you listen to, the more you learn, but the opposite is true.  Listening to all the people is often a distraction. Stop listening to everyone and get really laser-focused to the people that align with you, your values and what really resonates with you. This will help open you to your own inner knowing and move into a deep trust with yourself.

You might still be wearing all the hats, and doing all the jobs but I explain why, in the messy middle, it’s important to stop doing all the jobs. There comes a point in your business when that’s harmful to your future growth. I reveal where you can find support, how automation can help and why a coach can be really powerful for helping you to move your business forward with intention.

Next up is not having a plan. It’s so easy to set goals and know what you want to achieve, but not knowing how to get there will really let you down. Setting aside time to plan how you will get there is vital. I give you some practical tips on how you can tackle this.

The next one is not de-prioritising yourself. You can’t do it all on half a tank forever. I take you through why you need to be really intentional about looking yourself this year, in order to avoid severe fatigue, overwhelm and burnout. You need to invest time in yourself and prioritise self-care, in an authentic way for you.

Finally, stop doing the same thing, and expecting a different result. Are there things on your list that you simply don’t do because they’re hard, or because you haven’t created time to do them? It’s so easy to fall back into old patterns, especially when you want to do feels outside your comfort zone. This is your invitation to move through these old patterns.

These five steps of what not to do will help you get really clear on what you want your business to be and take action on that. You have eleven months to bring your big goals to life! I want you to finish the year having achieved all the things you desire.


JOIN THE RUN YOUR BUSINESS LIKE  A BOSS ACADEMY

Thanks for joining me for this bonus and casual chat!

I'm back from my 6 week holiday and I wanted to spend a little time catching up before we dive right into our regular content schedule.

I hope you enjoy this episode and if you want to know more about working together this year, head to the website.

Running a business is a long and often exhausting journey and one of the key components to success is sustainability. In today’s episode, I am chatting with Suraya Nikwan, an accredited practising dietician and nutritionist, and the owner of The Bariatric Collective. Suraya helps her clients who’ve experienced weight regain after bariatric surgery to build an enjoyable nourished life without dieting through her one-to-one consultations, group programs, podcast and online courses. 

Suraya is passionate about her mission and was working enormous hours every week to support her patients. She joined the Run Your Business Like A Boss Academy to learn how to transform her business to serve more patients, work less hours, overcome compassion fatigue and scale up. 

Suraya made a breakthrough in her business when she did the online business audit in the academy and discovered that her business values didn’t align with her personal values. This realisation led her to make changes to her business model that freed her up to be available for her family while still running a very successful and fulfilling business.

One of the most important things we explore when creating a sustainable business model is finding your business North Star. This is the guiding principle that will help you to make decisions and stay focused on your goals. It’s so important to have a clear idea of what your business mission, values, and vision are so you can design your business model with these at the centre. 

Suraya talks about the power of being part of a group coaching program where you can benefit from the support, accountability and community of other members. Working with others and being held accountable can help to create breakthrough moments and make positive changes that will help your business grow.

Suraya's story is a perfect example of how taking action and staying accountable can help you reach your goals. By joining a group coaching program and making the time to do the work, she was able to make positive changes in her business and create a more successful business model.

Connect with Suraya Nikwan

• Website: https://www.thebariatriccollective.com.au/
• Instagram: @thebariatriccollective
• Podcast:  Reverse the post-op regain

Learn more about The Academy:

If you want to know more about the Run Your Business Like A Boss Academy, check out the website and join the waitlist today:   The Run Your Business Like a Boss Academy

With the online and small business worlds continuing to grow, I’m sharing with you today some of the big things to focus on for business growth in 2023. These are not necessarily trends for 2023, but 7 key pillars to help you build your business in the current landscape. 

In previous years, there has been so much emphasis on sales, marketing tactics and bringing in certain dollar amounts. So today, I’m bringing it back to the nuts and bolts of running a successful business and doing it in a way that works for your life. 

One critical aspect for business growth this year is to get really intentional about creating an amazing client experience for the people who invest in your services. I talk about honing in on the clients you actually want to work with and why this is so more involved than knowing your ideal client avatar. 

Something I’ve consistently spoken about for many years is designing a business that works for your life. It’s about building greater sustainability and flexibility into your business model which enables you to live life on your terms. 

Another key area to focus on for business growth this year is your visibility. This isn’t just about showing up on Instagram. It’s about intentionally developing your thought leadership and being authentic to yourself to really get your message out there. I talk about why this is so important and how understanding your message directly feeds into business growth. 

I also talk about building more predictable and recurring revenue streams into your business and making sure you prioritise relationships both inside and outside your business.  

There is so much noise out there, but I encourage you to come back to your mission, your message and determine what success looks like for you. I hope this episode gives you some food for thought on how you can hone in on your business this year and do it in a way that serves you.

Previous episodes mentioned:

• 87 - Do this to achieve your biggest goal yet
• 86 - Get clear on what it is you want your life to look like, and build a business to support that vision

Connect With Me:

• Free Download: Ideal Client Avatar Workbook
• Work with me: Business Strategy Workshop | 1:1 Business Accelerator Program
• Join the waitlist:  The Run Your Business Like a Boss Academy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Are you trying to set your goals and you’re struggling to figure out what they should look like? You know you want your life or business to feel different, but you’re not entirely sure in what way. Or perhaps you have big, scary goals, but you’re really unsure how you’re going to get there. This is all so common and I have a bit of a different style episode for you this week to give you the inspiration you need to achieve your biggest goals yet.

I talk about your future self and upgrading your internal processing by examining your desires, goals and big vision. This includes all of your beliefs, actions, mindset, thoughts, feelings, desires and goals. I’ll help you explore if your current system is actually supporting you to move forward or if it’s a product of where you’ve been in the past. 

We’ll do a visualisation exercise together to create space and look forward in time to explore your future life and identity to truly feel what it’s like to wake up every day in your ideal life. Everybody’s day will look different and you need to really think about what you want to achieve and strive for. 

Then we’ll take a journey through your business, career, wardrobe, and family to let yourself feel the pride, gratefulness and love you have for your former self for building the life and business that has got you to the place you’re in right now.

By being intentional with your actions and thinking of yourself through the lens of who you want to become, you will achieve your biggest goals yet. This episode is perfect for you if you want to really start moving towards the life and business you truly desire and wake up in the future full of gratitude for your past self. 

Previous episodes mentioned:

• Turning 43: The life and business lessons learned along the way
• Get clear on what it is you want y our life to look like, and build a business to support that vision
• Vision Boarding - use this process to achieve your goals in 2023

Connect With Me:

• Free Download: Ideal Client Avatar Workbook
• Work with me: Business Strategy Workshop | 1:1 Business Accelerator Program
• Join the waitlist:  The Run Your Business Like a Boss Academy
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

The way we run a business has changed. The blending of home and work is more important than ever before. How we live in this world has changed, and what’s available to us has changed. And it’s for this reason you need to be more intentional about designing a business that works for you.

What does that actually mean? I’m not talking about an idealistic vision that won’t apply to real people. What I’m talking about is intention, design and strategy. And all of that begins with one thing - clarity.

In this episode, I help you get clear on what you want out of your life and what your personal priorities are. You can’t build a business that works for you personally if you don’t know what you want.

I explain how I structure my business to work in with my family, and how this planning needs to account for and involve your partner (if relevant).

There is no one right way to do this. It’s about you figuring out how your business fits within your desires, your life and your priorities.

I step you through the three parts that will help you to unpack what it is that you want out of your life:

1. Understanding the kind of life you want to live overall.
2. Map out what you want to achieve in the next 2-5 years and determine how your business model supports those goals
3. Zoom in to understand what you want to achieve in the next 12 months, and the changes you need to make to achieve those.

Boss - your business model can be designed. This is the first step in the process - getting clear on what you actually want your life to be. I encourage you to mark out time in your calendar to do this work. Trust me, when you get clear on what it is you want your life to look like, from there you can build a plan and strategy to have a business model that supports you.

Previous episodes mentioned:

Ep 85 - Vision Boarding - use this process to achieve your goals in 2023

Ep 50 - Why you shouldn't be sharing YOUR why

Connect With Me:

• Join the waitlist: The Run Your Business Like a Boss Academy
• Free Download: Ideal Client Avatar Workbook
• Work with me: Business Strategy Workshop | 1:1 Business Accelerator Program
• Instagram
• LinkedIn