The Jim Galiano Show: Help for Freelancers & Solopreneurs

While it’s obvious that most businesses are looking to do better in 2019 than they did last year, I believe that’s just scratching the service. Experienced business owners have heard all the various sales pitches and presentations over the years.

I believe the future belongs to those who can find real solutions to the stressful, time-consuming problems, issues and challenges your clients are facing. That’s what they’re looking to buy. That’s what they’ll be willing to pay for in 2019.

Everything else will be basically treated like a commodity, with the sales going to those selling on the lower end of the pricing spectrum.

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After over twenty-plus years of marketing, a few things really stand out. First, it’s easier building a memorable personal brand than it is building a memorable corporate brand. In a corporate environment, everyone’s replaceable – even the CEO’s.

And second, a personal brand, can engage with people on a heartfelt level and create a true and lasting bond in the process.

Finally, the growing trend and data shows that people want to do business with people. They prefer personalities over large, faceless corporations. This is the foundation of relationship marketing.

Instead of competing and comparing – you stand alone as a unique solution in the marketplace. Instead of merely creating value by what you do – you create even greater value by demonstrating who you are.

Ultimately, you become the obvious choice to an ever-growing group of people.

Everyone loves to talk about themselves, their projects, and the things they personally find interesting. When it comes to sales, it’s tempting to talk about yourself while trying to convince others that you’re the best choice for their business.

People, however, will connect with you 10x faster if you redirect the conversation to center on around them – not you.

This can be a difficult lesson to learn because we all feel pressured to impress.

However, by asking simple, open-ended questions to prospective clients, showing interest, and letting them talk, you’ll close more deals with a fraction of the effort. It’s almost unbelievable how well this works. And yes, the studies and data have proven it out.

Even so, this approach is usually overlooked because the opposite approach has been ingrained in our thinking.

Wins, loses, up’s and down’s – if you want to build anything in life that’s above average, get ready to experience all the above and then some! Through it all, you have to be strong and keep moving forward. This is business. It’s not always fair and it doesn’t always even make sense 100% of the time.

Some people learn more from their setbacks than their wins. Especially in the early years in business. Others get knocked down, face setbacks, and are never the same again.

Which path will you take?

Two things can really help you as you move forward into January of 2019. First, get your “big picture” settled and into focus. What do you want to do? What do you really want to accomplish?

Next, attach your mission statement to the big picture. Keep it simple. You can write it out on the back of an envelope if you want to. Just be sure to keep it in a place where you can see it and refer back to it if you find yourself lost in the weeds..

When you feel yourself getting bogged down by details and stressful situations, ask yourself how important are these things are in the context of your big picture?

Make whatever adjustments you need to until the big picture comes back into focus! You really can do more with less in 2019.

Many digital entrepreneurs have focused on building their presence on various social platforms while neglecting their own domains. The reason for this is understandable, but times have changed.

The pay-to-play algorithms continue to change the social media landscape. And participation continues to drop. According to Search Engine Journal’s 2018 report, “Social sharing has dropped 50% since 2015.”

If there was ever a time to focus on building the online properties you personally own and manage – now is that time.

You might be surprised to learn how many veteran digital business owners struggled to get their businesses back on track in 2018. With stress and anxiety at all-time highs, we’re working in an increasingly toxic environment. And the cracks aren't just beginning to show, they're now visible in plain sight.

However, it’s not all bad news. Why? Because we have the tools to build around the pitfalls that have plagued small business owners for years. Right here, right now you can stop building your battleship, the one that never seems to really get finished, and trade it in for a customized speedboat of a business built just for you.

You can travel twice as fast, twice as far, using a fraction of the fuel. Yes, I’m talking about bigger profits with a smaller business setup. If that sounds good to you, I think you'll like today's podcast.

Sometimes things look so easy on paper. You think, “This time, I’ve got this.” But then the pieces don’t quite fit together the way you thought they would.

So, you go back to the drawing board to figure out what’s missing. I’ve done this myself countless times until “that day” finally comes. I’m talking about the day when the pieces finally start falling into place.

It’s like taking the same test over and over again until you finally pass. When that happens, you’ll often discover the “key” was there with you the whole time. You just didn’t see it.

Sometimes you need to hear the same thing said 20 different ways before you “get it.” But when that day comes and you finally get it, it changes everything. Who knows, maybe TODAY will be that day?

In today’s podcast, I’d like to share with you a few key pieces of advice that I’ve mentioned on and off throughout the year. I’d like to summarize a few things and make it easier to understand. Are you struggling with sales? Are you confused about which business model is really the best fit for you going forward?

Today, I want to tie what might be a bunch of loose ends together for you. This can help make your next step more doable than ever before.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a solopreneur, an agency owner, or a freelancer, there’s something for you in today’s podcast!

How many digital entrepreneurs do you think are out there building businesses they’re honestly not very happy with? Probably quite a few. For many of us, this journey started out with a focus on freedom and lifestyle as much as it did money or income didn’t it? And yet, the daily reality continues to paint a much different picture.

The question is, are you building freedom or just a different version of what you were trying to get away from? In today’s podcast, I want to plant the seed of what I believe might be a viable alternative for some of you. I’m calling it the Solopreneur Business Model 2.0. New tech has changed the game and with the right twist, I believe you can be looking at a ground floor opportunity that can provide you with the freedom and income you're looking for.