Feel like you’re Doing the Damn Most to reach your next-level business goals, but still going nowhere?
Ugh. Been there too, friend.
Let’s talk about it…
No too long ago (or maybe longer ago than you prefer to mention) you may have decided it was time for your Next Big Thing.
Time to grow your visibility, put yourself out there, and share more of your expertise in public.
Time to finally create that new high end offer, craft that course, or position yourself in a way that lets you do the work you REALLY want to do.
Time to raise your prices, step into a new role as a sought-after expert, and have the business you actually set out to build when you started.
And then… something happened, didn’t it?
All the Prep in the World Won’t Get You Doing. The. Thing.
As soon as you decided to Do the Big Thing… self doubt started making the decisions.
Now you’ve got a pile of courses, tiny offers, and podcast episodes to “prepare” to sell the new thing, or position yourself in a new way.. and 10,000 hours later, you’re STILL not making the move. What’s up with that!?
You’re convinced the smart people in your industry doing what you want to do have a secret recipe or strategy that you NEED to know about before you launch.
(You haven’t found it yet, but you’ll keep searching by golly!)
You’re committed to doing your absolute best to help folks at this higher level, and so the thought of being one of “those people” who get in over their heads too early terrifies you.
So at the moment, you’re so afraid of failing these dreamy prospective clients, you still don’t feel ready to even talk to them about it, let alone do the work itself. If you wait just a little longer, you think, you’ll finally know enough to feel confident!
And so, here you are.
Just Get Started…Even if it’s Messy
With weeks and months, maybe even years, going by you while you wait to finally hit your info quota, and feel ready.
Hard truth: you might never feel completely “ready”.
Nevertheless, that Big Thing simply can’t happen until the rubber meets the road.
That means at some point, ready or not, you’re gonna have to commit to…
Taking the plunge. Exing out of the 15th course, turning off that millionth podcast episode, taking a big breath, and going for it.
Stepping forward to start sharing about this new Big Thing direction in your content, testing those new offers, and selling the dang thing already, so you can start building the momentum (and YES, making the mistakes) that will cement you in this new phase.
Learning your strengths, your weaknesses, and how to apply your knowledge to the work you want to do, by DOING IT IN REAL TIME, with real human beings buying and watching.
It’s not going to be perfect, but my friend.
That’s NOT THE POINT.
You just need to start.
And I won’t let you do it alone.
So without further ado…
Four Ways to Start That Big Thing TODAY
(So you so you can step out of “info gathering” mode, and into the game. )
Option 1: (For Beginners) Create a Bite-sized First Step
Consider: what’s the smallest first step you can take on that Big Thing you’re avoiding? Even if it’s just writing a single sentence, or crafting the very baby stages of an outline, or just making a list of people to approach with the Big Thing when it’s ready.
Whatever it is — creating that course/program/offer outline, writing that pitch email, crafting that post or newsletter, starting that landing page or sales page… commit to taking that first baby step today.
How? Set a timer for 15 minutes. That’s it.
(Our goal today isn’t to finish — it’s to start.)
Then, for those 15 minutes, sit your booty down, put your phone on airplane mode, pop on your social media blockers, and take a swing at that first baby step.
Best case scenario? After 15 minutes, you’ll want to keep going, and you make more headway.
Worst case scenario? You’ll spend 15 minutes frozen staring into space.
And that’s OK too.
Come back and try again tomorrow.
Option 2: (If You’re Further Along) Approach a “Perfect Person”
If you’re a little further along (the offer outline is created, or a draft is written), consider approaching a Perfect Person privately.
Every new visibility strategy or offer should have an ideal target in mind, right?
So, once you’ve made a little headway on sketching out what that Big Thing even IS, consider approaching someone you think would be a fantastic fit for it, and getting their feedback (re: their attention).
Ideally, this is someone you already know personally, who’ll be comfy giving you some initial reactions.
Don’t give them TOO much labor to do (i.e. reading a 10+ page google doc), but instead make the ask that sounds something like:
“Hey I’m working on something to solve for [THIS PROBLEM YOU KNOW THEY HAVE]. If you have a sec, I’d love your reaction — and I’d love to share a couple of ideas I have for you about [PROBLEM], if you’re open!”
^ This lets them know there’s something in it for them, too.
Then once you get the yes, share a quick voice-note summary, or a 1-page google doc with the overview, and see what they say. And don’t forget to share those couple of ideas with them, too!
(If they don’t respond, don’t let it get to you. Move down the list and approach someone else who fits the bill — or damn close to it!)
Option 3: (Your Thing is Almost Done) Approach Past Clients
If your Big Thing is juuuust about there? Consider approaching past clients with an invitation to check it out.
You know who’s most likely to buy something you’ve created? Someone who’s already bought from you.
If your Big Thing is ready to see the light of day (especially if it’s an offer), shoot a quick note over to some existing clients who might be an excellent fit for it.
In the email, tell them WHY it might be a fit for their needs based on what you know of the business, with the invitation to learn more/get on a call if they’re interested.
Whether you want to offer a beta or “early bird” rate is up to you. But if you plan to — include it in the email, with a deadline.
If it’s NOT a paid offer you’re setting up, but rather some type of content?
If the piece of content relates to a new role you want to play in business, or a new level of strategic work you want to do that’s relevant to them, sneak them a peek anyway, and let them know:
“I know we’ve discussed this before! I’m working on this [piece/post/article/episode], and thought you might find it kinda cool. Would love your thoughts if you have any!”
Option 4: (For Everyone) Talk About it on Your Own Platform
Got something you’re working on? THE PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW.
(Seriously. Humans are v. nosy, I promise.)
Share a bit about it on your own social channels to give folks a sneak peek, and gain a little “Where is that thing you mentioned?!” audience accountability to bring it to life at the same time.
Not sure where to start with that? Use one of these prompts…
“OK, this is top secret… but I’m working on something to [SOLUTION TO SPECIFIC PROBLEM]. Here’s why it’s so damn exciting…“
“I can’t let the cat out of the bag yet, BUT! I’m brewing up something magical for you guys that’s going to help you [PROBLEM YOU’RE SOLVING FOR]. I’ll give you three hints...”
“Heads up [TARGET AUDIENCE]! I’m working on something simply spectacular for you. It’s gonna help you [PROBLEM YOU’RE SOLVING FOR]. All I can tell you about it now is…“
The goal of all four of these steps? Just start.
Perfectly imperfectly, and in (semi) public.
The First Step Covers the Most Ground
Because at its core?
Taking that first step, that swing, and that risk… is at least 70% of the battle.
Sure, you can stay stuck in the “info gathering” cycle, pretending you don’t know enough to take the jump, and that the “one more course!” voice in your head is actually trying to help you succeed, rather than convincing you to procrastinate further.
But by taking a deep breath to get those first ideas down, and/or put the Big Thing somewhere people can see it…?
…. You’re already ahead of the hundreds of thousands of people all over the world hiding in a pile of resources in order to avoid failure, or making a fool of themselves.
The journey to the next phase and Big Thing in your business starts…exactly when you do.
So take the risk. Put it out there, and just see what happens.
You got this. I promise.
Go get ‘em,
H
Photo by Arif Riyanto on Unsplash
