Which label to you own?

We're given so many mixed messages about what we should do, what we should call ourselves and where we should do it, that it can be hard to know up from down & front from back sometimes.

Conscious capitalism say 'passion before profit'. I love this, but wait a minute, I have a family to feed, so where does the revenue come from. Simon Sinek has created the 'Golden Circle'; the WHY movement. Apparently if you know your WHY others will love you, they'll want to give you money for your product or service. I love this too, I get  it, I really do, but I sure do know my why, but how do you communicate that so people will join your tribe and share your passion for your cause? Then there's Stephen Covey's habit: 'start with the end in mind'. Many of us know what, where & when, but HOW? Right?

How do we go from 'A' to 'Z' while making a profit from our passion because we want to make a difference and are on a journey success for the long haul?

Once upon a time we had to be a published Author or Key Note Speaker for high profile corporations or maybe have a TV appearance to be THAT person. But now, we have this mind blowing thing called the Internet, which gave birth to Social Media, which allows EVERY SINGLE PERSON (with internet access) to have a voice, an opinion and gain a following, grow your tribe. At this point, the Expert or KPI thing can be broken up into several points, so read on, as the following points all contribute to you becoming this person.

Are you constantly learning?  Do you read articles & books, listen to audio books or MP3s, or watch informative video clips?

We're now blessed with an abundance of information in all kinds of mediums. If you know your most effective style of learning and communicating then it's easy to gather a library of information and learn at your own leisure. If you like to listen, then use your car to learn on the go or while your out for a walk or bike ride. If you're a reader, buy books, bookmark or save any articles you come across and make a time during the day/week to catch up on your dose of  growth. If seminars or conferences are your thing, make a point of attending at least one per quarter. Not only will you learn a great deal, you'll also get loads of inspiration and possibly meet some amazing people while you're there. Make the investment in yourself a combination of TIME & MONEY.

Building your social profile is a very effective way of having others find you, like you and join you.

When you have a loyal following of people who love what you do they feel great about sharing your content and letting others know about you. Get yourself out there by being consistent & genuine, sharing information from others, post a friendly "Hi" as well as lots of your own information and you are likely to stay in the minds of your fans.

However, if you're constantly pitching the sale people will be quick to switch off, so try to make at least 70% of your posts informative and the other 20-30% can be sales. After all, if you have a monetized site or business, you're trying to find qualified leads in the process of creating your tribe so no one can (or should begrudge you for spruiking a product or service as long as you have a balanced approach).

There are many platforms for social media but it's important to find the avenues that you're comfortable with and suit your business and do those well, rather than have a presence on all platforms and do them all, half well.  There are plenty of resources to explain which Social Media platforms are best used for what purpose and many businesses have been built on helping people know how to make the most of the internet.

Tip: If you begin to get obsessed with numbers, remember quality is better than quantity!!

Is there someone you can turn to in a time of need? Can you pick up the phone or send an email when you have a pertinent question?  Being a work at home Mum, Sole Trader or even a CEO of a large company can be isolating and lonely for many different reasons. Sometimes partners, parent, siblings or friends just don't get it. BUT, you don't have to do it all alone, help and support is usually just around the corner and when you're open to hearing the knowledge, advice & experience of others is usually when you're put in a position of receiving it. Surround yourself with inspiring, successful people and you'll be surprised how many of them have been in your situation and love to give some friendly advice to people they know will take it on board. Many of these people will also welcome the position of mentor or be able to recommend the perfect coach. Again, this can require making an investment, but it can also be the difference between an OK business and a KICK ASS business, most of all it can make the difference between an OK you, and a HAPPY, content you!

In other words, don't give up!! We know the stats on how many businesses don't make it past the first 12 months or three years.