The Flow Protocols - a Podcast by Cat Howell

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Always finding yourself in the same situation financially? Dating the same kind of people or attracting the same kind of clients that drain you of energy?

Understanding this about patterns is the key to shifting them around.

For more on the foundations to emotional competence - grab your copy of Magic Source Codes on Amazon >>

Register for free training: https://cathowell.com/freetraining

The reason you don’t have the seven figure business you dream of isn’t because of your intellect, worthiness, strategy, or audience size. 

Rather, it’s because you’re not emotionally prepared to HOLD that kind of business (yet). 

Because here’s the truth, making millions - and sustaining those numbers -  isn’t just happy rainbows and butterflies, cotton candy clouds in the sky. 

It requires the ability to handle:  

 Client chargebacks, cancellations, or dishonoured payments, which may still be at an acceptable %, but the more you grow, the more customers you have, and naturally the more this will take place. If you get depressed every single time a client is unhappy, every time a client ends a contract, or is late paying an invoice, how tf you gonna handle that x10???

 Trolls and haters and people who will post nasty things about you on Reddit just because (even though they never bought from you or met you irl).  A bigger value exchange means more visibility.  Until you have fully ACCEPTED and learned to ignore the inner critic, you won’t be able to handle the critics outside of yourself….

 Plagiarism or people swiping offers or products almost verbatim.  If you get up in arms every time you inspire someone SO MUCH THAT THEY COPY YOU, if you go into emotional reds because of fake IG accounts popping up, if you get ANGRY every time a rip-off platform tries to pass off your courses or offers at a fraction of the price… Then I’m sorry to say, you won’t be able to hold the millions. This is part of the play.  If people copy you, be grateful you inspired them, if people rip your offers off - be impressed that you even hit their radars (doesn't mean you can't legally mitigate this, but if you're in reds about it all, business growth will lead to your downfall)... 

 Clients or staff reaching out at all hours of the day demanding your immediate attention.  If you don’t know how to set proper boundaries this will quickly lead to BURNOUT. 

 Clients who - no matter what you throw at them - just don’t get the results you’re after and the drop in confidence that ultimately comes from this.  Regardless of how good you are at what you do, there will always be some who won’t succeed, if you begin to doubt yourself every time this happens, guess what, growth will stall too. 

 The ability to receive more $$$ without the burning itch to DO MORE, to feel guilty about it or make yourself busy for the sake of busyness so you can feel worthy of it 

I could go on and on. As I said, it’s not all rainbows and powder puffs. 

A million dollar business requires high emotional IQ - resilience, courage, confidence and self acceptance - these trump strategy any day. 

And if any of the above scenarios made you feel uncomfortable or stirred up fears in any way, well - that's the reason why you don't have the business you aspire to (yet). 

Prioritise the emotional skills first, and you'll be well on your way to that BIG value exchange.

Register for free training: https://cathowell.com/freetraining

No matter how good you are at what you do, at one stage or another, you will encounter an unhappy customer. 

Believe it or not, this can be a GREAT opportunity in your business depending on how you respond and handle it.

This episodes explores the emotional skills to turning unhappy clients into brand advocates.

For more join me and thousands of visionaries inside the Free Flow Protocols group >> 

Pricing is a big stick point for many entrepreneurs - too cheap and you run the risk of burning yourself out, too high and you might find no one bites.  

Here are the metrics to watch out for to know when it’s time to raise your prices:

1. You’re fully booked and/or burned out - My partner owns a mobile car detailing business. Three months ago, he was booked out for two week’s in advance.  This was the key sign that his pricing was too cheap.  He has steadily been increasing his pricing each month and last month he had his highest revenue month on record even though he worked fewer hours.  If you’re burned out, running pedal to the metal , then it’s time to up your pricing.   
    
   
   
2. Poor lead quality and results.  People aren’t consuming/integrating or getting results. I’ve tested ad to free lead magnets and courses many times throughout my coaching career.  I even offered Day 1 free from Money Magic, a paid workshop once. No surprise, those who get things for free barely open or consume the content.  Even at low ticket prices below $300 you tend to find people will never once take part.  If you’re struggling with engagement in your community, people aren’t consuming the products or getting the results then it’s time to raise your prices.  Another example of this again comes from my partner’s business.  His cheaper pricing attracted all sorts of customers who were constantly haggling and asking for the world in exchange for peanuts.  Once he started to raise his price, the attracted more entrepreneurs and construction workers who were willing to pay without question and owned much nicer vehicles. 
   
   
3. Close rate above 20%.   I recently opened up my calendar to private clients, and had a 71% close rate. Now this feel good for sure, but in reality this was my queue that I was severely undercharging.  Sales call close rates should sit more at 20%, any higher and it’s time to up the price. For live workshops, the average is 10% conversion rate - if you’re converting higher than this than again, the price was too cheap, go higher.   

BONUS - Customer and confidence feedback - when you start to get massive wins and results from your customers, and your confidence naturally increases as a result, this is a good time to raise prices.  It’s pointless to try to increase your price if you’re not confident in the value or price.  

Obviously what I share above depends on having a solid offer and product.  You can be burned out, for example, doing “busy work” but your offer is crap, and increasing the price will only hinder sales.  

Hope this helps! 

x

Charlotte, a successful and multi-talented entrepreneur, had spent the major part of her life wondering why it was that she seemed to see and experience the world differently than most others.  Before even receiving an official diagnosis for autism and ADHD, she set about building a business on her own terms.

In this episode we explore the nuances of what it means to build and grow a successful business with a neurodivergent brain.

Connect with Charlotte here >> 

So you think that in order to receive and attract big money you must first feel worthy of it? Think again.

In this episode I explore the MASSIVE misconception that you must feel worthy in order to receive and attract money.

Register for upcoming live training: https://evt.to/eeiugdhhw

As someone who has lots of ideas all the time, it can be easy for me to slip into states of confusion of overwhelm.

I've gotten pretty good at navigating through these through the years but recently found myself knee-deep in the bog of self doubt.

I started to question all my decisions, my business, and relationships and couldn't even make up my mind about the simplest of things.

Then a mentor said something that immediately snapped me out of it.

Listen to full episode to discover what that was.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more on the topic

Over ten years ago I read the Four Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris and it blew my little mind. 

At the time I was trying to grow my freelancing business through sweat and hustle. I worked long hours and was - for the most part - an absentee parent. I remember answering client emails only a few hours after having a c-section with my first born and my second child was placed in daycare when she was only two months old because I was working nonstop.

The idea that one could make money and support themselves with only four hours a week was radical to say the least.

It seemed unbelievable, but extremely appealing to someone who had ground themselves down  - and so I set my compass firmly towards it.

I determined myself to build a business that would give me this level of time freedom. 

It would take me eight years to get there. And in 2022, I finally cracked the “code”.

I finally had the freedom of my days.

I finally was able to be fully present with my kids. 

For the first six months, working less than four hours per week was amazing.

I spent my days reading, gardening, meditating, exercising and visiting friends. 

But after about six months of this, things started to go downhill.

I started to feel bored - a feeling I hadn’t felt for almost twenty years.

And slowly fell into apathy. 

I have since come to realise that total time freedom is not the promise land we make it out to be.  

In fact, retirement, as a whole, is a scam.

For we are meant to create, or rather MADE to create. To be immersed, hands in.

I’m not talking about overwhelm or busyness for the sake of busyness, neither of these solve for anything. 

But neither does detachment from work. 

Taking almost two years “off” working minimal hours has messed with my flow in ways I can’t even begin to explain.

It’s made me lethargic, and dimmed my hunger. 

While this may come across as patronising, in the same way as someone with wealth saying “mOnEY woN’T make yOu haPPy “, take it from me: total freedom of your days is not the solution to your burnout. 

Work is good. It’s healthy. It keeps the belly full and the mind sharp. 

And while I don’t know Tim Ferris personally, just based on his content and work output, I can almost guarantee you he is working more than four hours per week. 

Not because he financially has to.

But because he understands that true fulfilment comes not from escaping work, but from engaging in meaningful work. 

To those of you whom have I led astray the past two years directing you towards this total time freedom business model, I apologise, I was wrong. 

Fill your time with those things that give you purpose and meaning, understanding that hobbies and coffee dates with friends will only take you so far.  

Creating value is what you are here to do, shirking away from this will only send you adrift.

And so, to that, I set a new compass, twenty hour workweeks - a happy medium.

Expect to see a lot more from me going forward 

Two years after taking the leap into starting her own business freelancing for clients, Aleks was barely making enough to contribute to her family household, but some difficult news changed all that and determined her to scale to $10K/mths.

Setting a twelve month goal, she reached it within four.  Inside her newest book The Fully Booked, Aleks shares not only the lead generation that was required to make this happen but the mindset that was foundational to it all.

Grab your copy of The Fully Booked  >>

Connect with Aleks on Instagram >> 

My business changed once I stopped selling features or offers and instead focused on selling a transformation.

Join Psycho Sales >> 

Once I realised that - all sales are a value exchange (initiation and acceptance) - and that what we value ultimately boils down to a state of wellbeing. 

When I started to take clients on THAT journey, in full conviction and confidence, my business skyrocketed. Going from $5k months to $100k months (within months).

Showing up to the value exchange in such a way, isn’t something that can be hacked or faked. You can’t just slap on “all in” energy as you would makeup, it’s a lived in experience, and embodiment.

It requires that we ourselves buy into our own brand, offers and self. That we actually value the greens we bring to the exchange - both in thought and action. 

When we are clear on the transformation clients come to experience, when we understand the impact this has not only on their own lives but everyone else’s, when it's no longer about a conversion rate or financial metric, sales becomes of the highest service. 

It expands and fills the cup (instead of depleting of energy and confidence). It is something we willingly, and in play, step into - and our business benefits for it.

Join me inside of Psycho Sales June 17th to get plugged into that potent “all in” energy... 

REGISTER YOUR SPOT: https://magicsourcecodes.com/psychosales