Stop relying on others to determine your success
Let me guess - you've had enough. Things have to change.
You desperately wanted 2019 to be a breakthrough year for your data management career or business, right?
But here's the thing...
In 2017, you also said to yourself:
"Next year, things are going to change.
I'm going to shake things up.
This is the year I make it happen."
But then 2018 became just another regular year.
Stuck in the same rut.
Yes, you had a few high points, but overall, not the growth or change you expected.
Can you relate to this experience?
If that's a 'yes', then consider this simple fact...
You designed it this way.
What?
Where's the inspiration and help in that statement?
(Don't worry. I'll get to the solution in a moment).
Putting All Your Eggs in Someone Else's Basket
I run a coaching program that helps data professionals create a thriving personal business.
I've designed this program around two Ideal Client Profiles (or 'customer avatars' marketing speak):
Anxious Andy
"Anxious Andy": Andy has incredible data skills but is tired of employment.
He wants to experience the thrill of running his own data management consultancy (or other form of business) but is overwhelmed at all the moving parts required to make it happen.
The data stuff he excels at, but attracting and converting customers? That's a real concern.
He's scared because he doesn't want to launch and have it flop.
Frustrated Fiona
"Frustrated Fiona": Fiona has a data management business, typically a consultancy.
She's fed up because she can't create a consistent pipeline of sales.
She's dabbled with various marketing tactics, perhaps webinars, blogging or event speaking, but she just can't break out of the 'dollars for hours' trap she's in and it's starting to grind her down.
She's tired of having to rely on referrals and word of mouth to keep her afloat. She wants to run a 'real' business that generates consistent sales calls and opportunities.
Do these characters resonate with you?
Are you an Andy or a Fiona?
Whilst these two characters may appear different, they are impacted by the same problem...
They've put all their eggs in someone else's basket:
Andy relied on his past employers to drive his wealth and wellbeing.
Fiona relied on her network of friends to drive her wealth and wellbeing.
Does this reliance on others underpin your wealth and wellbeing?
Employer Reliance:
Great boss, company pays well, your professional goals are fulfilled: You're happy.
vs...
Crappy boss, lots of politics, average pay and no progression: You're unhappy.
Referral Reliance:
Plenty of leads, great fees, strong pipeline and interesting work: You're happy.
vs...
Sporadic leads, average rates, feast and famine pipeline, humdrum projects: You're unhappy.
How can you break the reliance on others and create a process for predictable career and business growth?
I meet a lot of people like 'Andy and Fiona' on my weekly breakthrough calls
(Incidentally, my Breakthrough Calls are free and you can book here).
When we get into the call, I walk people through a series of steps to help them get clarity on why they're struggling to launch or grow a personal data business, or indeed their career.
The biggest problem I see is a lack of a clear strategy, or system, for making the transition from where they are now, to where they want to be.
Without a system, you simply default to hoping others will bail you out (either your employer or your network).
It's ironic that, despite years of data management training, when it comes to running a personal business, many data professionals forget the principles of 'cause and effect'.
Just as bad data creates bad service, a bad (or non-existent) system, will create an undesired outcome in your business (or career).
To break the reliance on others, and ensure far greater predictability and growth in their business or career, I help people build a system that resolves the gaps in their...
Purpose
Proposition
Platform
Presence
Pipeline
When people engage me, I work with them to set up each of these systems in their business so they can create morea predictable growth outcome.
So for example, a personal business may be struggling for many reasons such as:
Scattered priorities, lack of focus (your purpose has gone adrift).
'Dollars for hours' mentality (your proposition has limited growth).
Can't attract clients or scale attention (you don't have a well-designed platform).
You can't command the high fees other experts get (lack of presence and authority).
Feast and famine seems to plague your approach to sales (no pipeline process).
If you want to break the reliance on others, you need to design this kind of system into the way you turn up every day.
If you want to create sales opportunities, you need to design a system that attracts and converts new clients, even when you're working or relaxing on holiday.
Look through those steps above again - what are you missing?
If you don't design your business (or your career) for new opportunities, then you're simply placing your success in the hands of others.
Don't do that.
Build a growth system that you own and control.
Something that has clarity and steps you can tweak and refine over the years to come as new trends and tech come along.
Think about your current system...
Can you map it out on a table top to see all the moving parts and work on each one repeatedly?
Do you have metrics and targets that you're tracking so you can see where to improve?
If you're not getting results, it's all about the system.
Stop blaming your boss, or your partners, or your network, or your agents.
You have to design for the opportunities you seek.
If you want to get better results in 2019, now is the time to start thinking about what systems you need to design to make this happen.
Anything else is leaving your fate in the hands of someone else.
Want to design a system that makes 2019 your breakthrough year?
Reserve your free breakthrough call today (slots are limited so book early). We'll explore the gaps in your current approach and see what working together looks like.