by Yoon Cannon | General, Build Your Dream Team, Business Growth Tips Blog, Create Your Dream Business, Management-Leadership, Management-Leadership, Success Mindset
Running your own business is hard. Running your business all alone is even harder. 😩
There’s so much advice out there it’s hard to know what to do and what to focus on first. You’re worried about following the wrong advice, or just as bad …. The right advice at the wrong time.
You can commit to working harder …. But, what if you’re working hard on the wrong things? You’ll easily waste months and even years spinning your wheels. 😭
Your friends and family don’t know what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. They don’t understand the challenges you face running your own business or how to solve the problems that keep you up at night.
Right now, you have no one to talk to who can give you meaningful support and actionable advice.
📍You need to FIND YOUR PEOPLE.
Take the first step … right here … right now.
✅ WHAT IS ONE DECISION YOU NEED TO MAKE IN YOUR BUSINESS RIGHT NOW?
Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. By sharing a decision you’ve been delaying to make or a challenge that’s got you stuck … not only could you receive some 💡great ideas 💡 to help you … you’re also helping so many others who are facing the same challenge in their business.
by Yoon Cannon | Business Growth Tips Blog, Lead generation, Success Mindset
Build a More Successful Brand Website
The Internet is a pretty crowded place. Getting noticed among all the other websites vying for your customers’ attention may not seem easy.
That said, it can be easier than you assume. You simply need to apply the right tactics. If you’re looking for a way to optimize your site so it draws in more leads (and yields more sales), keep the following tips in mind:
#1 Track Visitor Behavior
There are numerous heat map tools available which let users know where visitors are scrolling and clicking on their websites. Using one of these tools to monitor how guests behave on your site can help you better determine where certain offers and CTAs should be positioned for maximum effect.
#2 Track Conversions
Google Analytics offers site owners many ways to monitor traffic. Although it’s worth your time to experiment with its various features, it’s particularly smart to track conversion sources. This process essentially tells you which traffic sources are driving the most (and least) sales.
For instance, you might learn people who visit your site via social media channels aren’t making purchases. Depending on your strategy, you could work on improving your social media campaigns or using more of your budget to optimize channels which are already delivering strong results.
#3 Include a Video
Did you know 64% of online shoppers are more likely to buy a product after watching a video about it? Video content may cost more money to generate than simple text-based content, but it can also deliver a strong return on investment. Consider adding an explainer video to your site to boost sales.
Beauty brands, for example, might include videos of customers applying their products. If you run a coworking space, including a virtual tour could highlight what sets you apart from other shared offices in the area. One coworking space leveraged this strategy on their homepage to attract new members and improve their average time on site. These dynamic videos are a great way to give viewers a more accurate feel for your brand and your products.
#4 Include Testimonials
Savvy customers know they can’t simply trust you to represent your business honestly. However, surveys also indicate 85% of people trust online reviews to the same degree they trust recommendations from friends and family members. Thus, simply featuring reviews and testimonials on your site can help you turn new leads into paying customers.
#5: Test Landing Pages
Creating a website that maximizes your revenue is much easier when you experiment with different tactics to learn what does and does not work. That’s why you shouldn’t rely on one landing page for a particular service or product at first. Instead, A/B test different versions to see which one drives more sales.
#6: Audit Your Site
It never hurts to examine your current site in close detail to determine where you can make improvements to generate more conversions. Performing a conversion audit is often a smart first step to take during this process. Taking this step early ensures you know where you should focus most of your efforts when making changes to your site.
Again, there is a lot of distracting content on the internet. Keeping your visitors’ attention long enough to turn leads into customers requires designing a website that converts. These points will help you achieve this goal.
QUESTION: What is your #1 biggest challenge in your business when it comes to generating quality leads from your website? Shae your comments and questions below.
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset, Create Your Dream Business
For my international friends, today is Halloween in the US…. a time when kids put on costumes, knock on doors and simply have to say “trick or treat” to receive treats of candy in their bags.
Did you know that you have the power to choose trick or treats in your business?
Your mind can play tricks on you and convince you into believing lies … maybe it’s lies like:
- I can’t afford to hire help for my business … or
- If I want things done right in my business I have to do them myself … or
- It’s more expensive to hire new employees, so I’ll just keep the under performing ones I have
… or maybe thoughts in your head keep saying, “I have to muster more will to succeed.”
[bctt tweet=”Winning the battle of the will starts with winning the battle of the mind.” username=”yooncannon”]
Often times our minds just want to focus on what we want now. The problem is indulging in what we want NOW is what keep us from what we want MOST. You can’t defeat these tricks your mind plays on your if you don’t define them.
So, I want to give you a simple 5 minute exercise for you to define and write down what you want now vs what you want most?
[bctt tweet=”Getting more done… racing faster through your to-do list doesn’t hold any value if you’re moving faster in the wrong direction. ” username=”yooncannon”]
That’s why it’s so important to take that 5 minutes right now to get clear on what direction you want to go in your business and in your life.
I would love to hear what you came up. Also, sharing your personal discoveries will help other entrepreneurs to clarify their own goals. So, please share your comments and questions below.
SHARE your examples of what you want NOW vs what you want MOST? in the comments sections below.
Cheers
Yoon ~
PS. If you want to gain clarity on how to achieve what you want most in your business, I invite you to book a complimentary discovery call with me here: https://stage.paramountbusinesscoach.com/coaching-call-sign-up/
by Yoon Cannon | Business Growth Tips Blog, Success Mindset
UPDATED! … Ever Feel Like Giving Up in Your Business?
If you’ve been trying to grow your business alone, discouragement can easily knock you off your feet and make you question whether you should be giving up on your business — wondering whether achieving your dream is even possible.
If you’re feeling this fear in your business you are not alone. I have felt your pain and so have thousands of other now successful entrepreneurs.
The good news is you are taking a step in the right direction just by reading this blog and seeking answers.
Here are 5 tips that will help you get up when you feel like giving up. Implement these tips to help you get your “A-game” on.
1. Expect to struggle with challenges.
Challenges are a part of life … and it’s also a part of growing your business.
A wise person taught me a long time ago, “a person’s reaction is based on their expectation.”
Being exposed to so many “overnight” success stories on social media it is no wonder how any normal person might feel like a ‘failure’ if you are going through a rough time in your business.
Well, I rarely find those sound bytes on social media revealing the failures and hard times they had to overcome in order to get to the success they are today.
If you’ve been an email subscriber of mine, you probably already know about some of the high points in my background like, hitting my first Million Dollar milestone … doubling my business 11 times over my 26 year entrepreneur career … starting, turn-keying and selling 3 businesses, etc.
But, you may not know about some of the low points and struggles I went through along the way, when I was …
- Disheartened at the realization I could have made more money flipping burgers than what I netted in Q1 my first year of business back in 1992 … (I felt so inadequate!) 😭
- Rejected being turned down for my first round of funding for my 2nd business … (blow to my ego!) 😓
- Struggling to make payroll some months … (sweating bullets!) 😨
- Dumbfounded at the damage it cost me from not firing a key employee when I should have – to the tune of quarter of a million dollars (Ouch!) 😖
- Overwhelmed having to find 20 new hires to replace 20 under performing sales people … (Ugh! Felt like I got the ‘Go back to Start’ card in Monopoly) 😞
- Blindsided being sued for pregnancy discrimination by a new employee 😱 — (Wow! never imagined that could happen to me as a working mother of 3 children myself)
- Ok, I could go on and on … but I hope you get the point …
The point is … life is not easy, right?
When you expect growing a business to be easy, then challenges will take you by surprise. Don’t let obstacles knock the wind out of you and make you dwell on negative thinking.
As Vince Lombardi famously said, “it’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.”
I’ve learned, though it’s so much faster and easier to get up from setbacks when you have other people to help you. That’s why it’s important to …
2. Connect with like-minded entrepreneurs.
It’s pretty hard to encourage yourself when you’re in the midst of massive anxiety and frustration.
First, you’ve got to make a decision to get out of solitary confinement and not operate your business like an island.
Don’t try to climb out of your discouragement alone.
- Find a mastermind group or an advisory group where you get together regularly with like minded entrepreneurs to work ON your business.
- Join a local networking group where you can build relationships with other business owners and entrepreneurs.
- Reach out to a colleague and ask them to be your accountability partner. (Just don’t choose someone who is in the same place of contemplating giving up in their business right now).
3. Reconnect to your “WHY”.
I find that people think most about quitting and giving up when their business is not making enough money (you need to attract more clients) or the business just isn’t fun anymore (you need to develop high performing people you like being around).
A business won’t survive long if you’re just in it for the money. Yes, it must make money in order to thrive as a business, but there has to be a much greater meaning that drives you in your business.
[bctt tweet=”A greater purpose fuels passion that mere setbacks can not extinguish.” username=”yooncannon”]
The problem is pursuing money is not a meaningful purpose. We all need to make a living, but I believe God created each of us on purpose and for a greater purpose.
What was the difference you set out to make in people’s lives through your business?
It doesn’t matter how unglamorous you might think your profession is. Even a house painting business can make a powerful impact when it’s run as a purpose driven business.
When business is slow it’s easy to sink into self pity and start to question whether it’s time to throw in the towel. Instead, shift your focus off yourself and onto others.
Reconnect with your purpose and focus on the impact you want to make through your business.
[bctt tweet=”“Our greatest fear in life should not be failure, but succeeding at things that don’t really matter in life.” ~ Francis Chan” username=”yooncannon”]
4. Find an experienced guide.
Discouragement can feel as insurmountable as climbing Mount Everest when you’re not supported by an experienced guide. Let me give you a visual:
That’s me struggling to scale this rock. But, I would not have even gotten that far up if I didn’t have my brother belaying me from the ground.
Having him belay me protected me from getting hurt when I did fall. And, he knew how to belay me so I didn’t fall very far.
He also took me on walls he has scaled before. So, he could guide me on what steps I should take that was within my physical reach.
He didn’t guide me in the same sequence he gave my son, who could take a different path getting to the top since he is 5 inches taller than me and has far greater upper body strength than I do.
If I were free climbing I would certainly give up after my first fall. But, I would never attempt to go free climbing by myself. I know my threshold for pain and at my age, I would not risk breaking any bones.
It’s the same in your business. You can’t afford making costly mistakes. Hiring an experienced guide is worth every penny!
5. Evaluate your equipment.
When rock climbing you have to have the proper equipment to have a successful climb. The wrong shoes will make every step hiking up the mountain slippery and dangerous. A clothing line rope does not qualify as proper equipment. You may be able to hang clothes with it, but you wouldn’t depend on a clothing line rope to hold you from falling off a cliff.
If business is slow, you want to evaluate what equipment are you using in your marketing toolbox.
Don’t overlook the importance of having the right marketing tools. You can watch your sales climb much faster if you use the right tool for the right job.
These are some of the critical tech tools every business should be equipped with.
- effective lead generation magnet(s)
- a lead capture landing page
- a lead generation website
- email marketing/autoresponder tool
- traffic generation tools like social media
BONUS TIP #1. Shift your focus from seeing “problems” to seeing “opportunities”
If you keep focusing on your problem that your business is not making enough money right now, all you get is worry, anxiety and ulcers. The most effective way I know how to shift from focusing on the problem into seeing opportunities is by measuring your marketing metrics.
This is one of the most overlooked steps. But, measuring your marketing is like getting an instant X-ray of what is causing the problem.
Let me know if you want me to cover this topic in more detail in future blog posts, (just tell me in the comment box below) but let’s take one specific marketing tactic like your website. The numbers will tell you what opportunities to focus on.
Example:
# of new visits to your site = 1,000
# of subscribers = 5
# bounce rate = 90%
# average time spent on site = 4 seconds
average # of pages spent on site = 7
Can you see what opportunities the business with this above example should focus on?
If this is an area you are screaming for more help interpreting in your business right now you can sign up for a complimentary marketing assessment here.
BONUS TIP #2. Don’t worry about the storm. Worry about having a good anchor.
Falling sales numbers might be the storm in your business. Having a good anchor will keep you from worrying about it. When I am rock climbing I don’t worry about falling because I know I am anchored to my belayer who also happens to be my older brother.
Not only is he my safety net; he’s also my guide coaching me through what my next steps should be. Because my nose is so close to the rock, it can be hard to see what step I should take next.
My belayer can see the bigger picture from where he is standing. Plus, he’s climbed the rock before, so he knows first hand the pitfalls and the easiest path to reach the top.
Who is belaying you in your business? Who is your safety net? Who is guiding your next steps when your nose is too close to see those opportunities?
Question: What do you do when you feel like giving up? Share your tips and questions below.
© Copyright 2018
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset
Do you wish you could find a success mentor?
Someone who is fully invested in helping you create the success you envision for your business and life?
The Success Mentor Summit will introduce you to 100+ mentors who have walked the path before you. By joining this free event you’re bound to find a success mentor to help you uplevel your business success.
This online summit was created by the authors of the best selling book, One Minute Mentoring, Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz Ortiz, to help you access the direct mentoring you need to level up your life.
What’s great is since it’s online you don’t need to travel to a conference to benefit from the collective wisdom of these 100+ success mentors. Claire is bringing them straight to you, from the convenience of your own home.
She’s put together an incredible speaker lineup of high caliber experts like:
- Ken Blanchard
- Brad Sugars
- Pam Slim
- Donald Miller
- Carrie Wilkerson
- And Yoon Cannon … (oh right, that’s me! 🙂
For 10 days you’ll be able to listen to all the expert interviews live for free. Each mentor will peel back the curtain on their own success and give you the virtual mentoring you need to embark on a new path to lasting success.
Sign up to join the free Success Mentor Summit here
If you want to find a success mentor …
Here are my top 4 reasons for highly recommending joining this summit:
#1. The expert mentors will inspire you to level up and finally reach your full potential.
These mentors are some of the most inspirational individuals around when it comes to guiding people to reach for what they want in their lives. Additionally, the motivational information will change the way you view your own success — ensuring that your path will be different from here on out — no matter what you do and what you want for your life. Don’t drive yourself crazy knocking down every door to find a powerful mentor to guide you. Instead, join us.
#2. The tactical information will transform the path you take to reaching your success — no matter where you are now.
Our mentors know that a great mentor provides more than just motivation and inspiration. They know the power of tactical strategies when to comes to mentoring and mindset to help you grow towards your own success. All sessions have a clear eye to delivering key value in the form of actionable strategies and specific steps.
#3. The Success Mentor Summit will deliver results.
Our mentors are committed to delivering advice that will not only motivate you, but will also immediately inspire you to take action to see results. No matter where you are now, by implementing the strategies and action items our mentors recommend you will see results, fast, and then you will be able to build on those for lasting success.
#4. It’s FREE for a limited time if you sign up today.
Typical conferences and retreats require a huge investment of time and money. The Success Mentor Summit is different. Save your money, save your travel time and claim your ticket today!
Sign up to join the free Success Mentor Summit here
In addition, my interview for the Success Mentor Summit will be out there for the taking on Wednesday, September 13th.
I am so excited and grateful to be a part of this event because I know it is doing so much for so many people who are ready for a change.
I know the struggles of trying to find the guidance and support you need to really level up.
This is why I love this summit … every success mentor knows that a great mentor provides more than just motivation and inspiration. They know the power of tactical strategies when to comes to mentoring and mindset to help you grow towards your own success.
I hope you’ll check out what I have to say in my interview because I know you’ll love it!
I really hope you’ll take advantage and join today. I want to see you reach greater levels of success!
P.S. Register today for one of the All Access Pass Packages and get instant lifetime access to ALL interviews + incredible bonus gifts that you don’t want to miss (seriously … you don’t want to miss out!). Note that the price will triple in just a few short days – so get in on the low price now!
Sign up to join the free Success Mentor Summit here
by Yoon Cannon | Success Mindset, Success Mindset
Mastering Your Success Mindset
Do you ever get discouraged not knowing how to transform your business from where you are to where you want to go?
If so, you’re not alone.
I have found one of the most common hurdles in succeeding as an entrepreneur is winning the battle of the mind. You can know all the right things you should do and could do to transform your business, but the wrong thoughts can easily kill your progress and potential.
This week, I invited Anna Light, author of In_Security: Break Free from what Holds You Back, to share her tips to help you begin to break free and master your mindset for success.
I read her 12-day companion devotional and love the way she expresses powerful, unique insights. I’m excited for you to be blessed by today’s blog article on turning your insecurity into impact!
Cheers ~
Yoon
Turning Insecurity into Impact
The word alone elicits feelings close to shame, self-doubt, and embarrassment. Feelings we like to pretend aren’t there.
But over the last several years, as I have observed, researched, and uncovered all I could about this word Insecurity, for my book In_Security: Break Free from what Holds You Back, I’ve discovered everyone struggles with some form of insecurity or another.
It is not gender specific, age specific, or career specific. It is a human problem, manifesting itself in as many different ways as the individuals it infects.
It is fascinating to me, really.
All the different facets that come from such a universal feeling that most are unwilling to talk about. And why are we unwilling to discuss it?
Because of insecurity.
We don’t want to look weak. We don’t want to admit that, we too, have moments of doubt, fear, and uncertainty. This might ruin our reputation. People might not take us seriously. After all, we’re taught that “positive thoughts breed positive action” and while that may be true, complete avoidance of our insecurities may not be the answer.
Through much of my research I have discovered a surprising, yet helpful fact about our greatest insecurities.
“The path to your greatest impact is often
through your greatest insecurity.”
I’ll share from my own journey. I’ve struggled for years feeling insecure about writing. Not just writing, but sharing my writing with others. Putting myself out there for acceptance or for ridicule.
Because of this, I remained in a state of apathetic complacency, swatting away the gentle reminders to use the gift I had been given, convinced it was worthless. I knew for ten years I was supposed to write a book—not only a book—but a book about overcoming insecurity.
The ironic thing is I was insecure about writing a book about insecurity!
So I put it off. For ten years. Doing nothing also left me empty. Not only empty, but feelings of self-contempt continued to increase for the constant procrastination and waste of precious time and talent.
I didn’t know what was worse: Facing the fear of completing, publishing and marketing the book, or living with regret. I finally started writing, and I can tell you from experience, facing the fear is the way to go.
Along this journey, many others have confirmed the same feelings as they’ve shared their insecurities with me.
Is it possible that the very thing holding us back could be the launchpad of a great calling we’re too afraid to step into?
Could our insecurities be an indicator of the path we need to take?
We could say it like this: insecurity is the neon sign that points to a life of purpose, freedom, and fulfillment. The more insecure and fearful you are about that path reveals just how important it is that you take it.
We just have to fight our way past the insecurity
that threatens to leave us stagnant.
Here are three things to watch for as you embark on your own fight to overcome the insecurity holding you back from your greatest impact.
#1. Avoiding The Self Regard Trap:
Your personal self-regard will reflect in every interaction you have. The way you think about yourself will teach, inform, and direct others to think about you the same way.
The problem with this, is oftentimes, we are riddled with self-doubt, fear, and insecurity when faced with a risk we want to take. We want others to believe in us, but we first must believe in ourselves.
Do you want to know a great way to have a better self-regard?
Do the things you say you’re going to do. Not just the promises you make to others. Keep the promises you make to yourself. That’s where the real test of self-integrity is given and where positive self-regard will grow.
Have a phone call you need to make? Put it on your calendar and make it.
That idea you’ve been sitting on? Get the prototype going.
The thing on your list you are most afraid of? Do it first. Taking small steps to keep the promises you make to yourself will help foster personal trust. If you can trust yourself that you’ll do what you know you need to do, you’ll be unstoppable.
#2. Avoiding “What Will People Think?” Trap
This fear is deep-rooted in our human desire to be accepted and most of the time we tend to avoid moving forward if there is a chance of rejection or judgement.
What if I fail? What if this idea doesn’t work? What if they say no?
What will people think if…?
The great news is: people don’t think about you.
Do you want to know why? They are too worried about themselves to put any real emotional energy into thinking about you.
And even if they do think or speak negatively about you, it’s most likely because you’re doing something they aren’t doing and they misplace personal resentment into negative jealousy.
Holding yourself back based on a fear of what others think is a waste of time and a trap designed to keep you from moving forward. Recognize it, and walk through it.
#3. Avoiding The Resistance Trap:
Whether we agree or not on the existence of a Higher Being, a Master Creator, Mother Earth, the Power Within, or God, I know we can all agree that we have an enemy working against us.
I call it a spiritual enemy because I believe in God and the spiritual realm that’s waging war in the unseen. Steven Pressfield simply calls it Resistance—the enemy within, who, by the way “is always lying and always full of shit.”
If you have ever dreamed of becoming more than you are, you have experienced Resistance. It’s that little voice inside (or big voice, depending on how good we’ve gotten at ignoring it) that wants to take us out.
What insecurity holds you back?
What is keeping you from taking the next step in your journey, business, dream or life?
Is it any wonder you feel uncertain, cautious, or doubtful in your approach to this sensitive issue? There is so much working against you.
Our enemy knows your potential and fears what could happen if you not only knew your greatest calling, but walked in it confidently. Why do you think he works so hard to make you feel incompetent, unqualified, fearful, or even undeserving? So you’ll avoid the work.
So, maybe you don’t believe in the devil, but you know the Resistance I’m talking about.
Think about it. Oftentimes, it is the unknown that makes us feel unsure or insecure.
It is the risk that makes us fearful.
Most of the time when we’re faced with insecure feelings our instinct is to back-track or avoid those situations or talk ourselves out of what we know we need to do.
If we but understood the path to our greatest calling is often through our greatest insecurity, we could plunge headfirst into that destiny, knowing that great blessing is waiting on the other side.
ABOUT ANNA LIGHT: Anna Light is a wife, mother, and a writer with a heart to help people find freedom from the insecurities that hold them back. She aims to help others live life with confident passion, firmly grounded in the Truth of God’s Word. A former youth pastor at Life Church, she ministers at home to her husband and two young children while writing, speaking, and sharing her passion to help others find freedom from anything that holds them back. Find her latest book In_Security: Break Free from what Holds You Back on Amazon. Connect with her at LiveLaughLight.com.
QUESTION: What is one insecurity you will let go of today?
Share your answer below in the comment box to encourage other readers.
