Ep #66: The Importance of Working Your Plan

You are listening to The Life Coach Business Podcast, episode number 66.

Welcome to The Life Coach Business Podcast, show for coaches who are ready to up-level their business and take their impact, leadership, and results to a whole new level. If you’re ready to start taking powerful action and become the leader your business needs in order to grow and thrive, this show is for you. I’m your host, Amanda Karlstad, certified life and business coach, and entrepreneurial leadership expert.  Now, let’s get down to business.

Hello and welcome everyone. Welcome to today’s show. I’m super excited to have you with me. And to any of those that may be new here, welcome. I’m excited to have you. I am really looking forward to today’s conversation.

So, before we dive in, I want to just share with you a little bit about how amazing these past few weeks have been. I have been observing some amazing wins. My clients have been getting some amazing wins, and I want to share a few of them with you.

So, to start out with, one of my clients who is in my foundational program, which is called The Mastermind. This is the program that I designed for coaches, consultants, entrepreneurs who want to build their business to their first six figures. This is my accelerated program where we build their business foundation, we build the overall brand, launch the business, and basically implement all the things that have to be in place in order to build to those first six figures.

So, this particular client, she is just coming off of her second launch. Which I do want to note that it’s not quite over yet. But, just in the last two weeks she has sold almost $25,000, just in two weeks. And it’s so exciting because this is actually her second launch. And like I said, we’re not even done yet with the launch. So I actually anticipate that her revenue will be much higher.

And her first official launch, which we actually did literally in the first few weeks of working together, this was her first launch. And that launch was well over $20,000. And that was, again, her initial launch that we did before we even really went all in with it. So, I am super super excited for her.

She is more than well on her way to her first six figures. And based on what we’re seeing, our goal is actually to get her beyond her first six figures. And I just know it’s already done for her. She’s so on her way for that. So, that’s just a huge, huge win and I’m so proud of her and the work that she’s doing.

And another client I want to share with you, who is a client in my high-level mastermind. So, this is my high-level program. My high-level mastermind program that clients typically move into after they’ve moved through the foundational program.

And I will say in some cases I do invite clients directly into this program depending on if their revenue level is high enough. So, if they’ve generated six figures or more in their business, or if they’re at least on track consistently per month in their business, I do invite them to join us in the high-level mastermind. It’s my million-dollar mastermind. And this program is all about scaling.

So, in this program we really focus on being very strategic. It’s very high-level strategy. And it’s also very high-level mindset. And one of the most unique things that I love about this program is how supportive it is. And how we are able to just take everything to an entirely new level. How because of the game that we’re playing that we’re able to just take so many things to a whole new level.

And so, my goal is for all of my clients, in any capacity that I’m working with, to be 100% completely supported. And I will say that in this program, and really in my foundational program, the work that we’re doing, no matter if it’s in the mastermind or in my million-dollar mastermind, is million-dollar work. It’s really, really important work.

And so, we’ve had some amazing clients in this program and I’m just so, so proud of the work that they’re doing. And so, this client in this program, so we just built out a whole new program, a whole new offer for her. This was her first official launch of the new program, of the new offer. And she just came off of a $30,000 launch in December. Which was fantastic.

And, again, this is a brand-new offer, a brand-new program, a brand-new marketing funnel, brand new messaging, all of it. So, it’s been really, really fun to celebrate that with her. And to now be able to look at all of the potential in her business. And we’re anticipating such an amazing 2021 for her and being able to scale her to multi-figures. It’s so, so exciting.

So, I’d like to invite you, if your goal is to build your coaching or consulting practice to at least six figures in 2021, I want to encourage you to apply for my foundational program The Mastermind. You can go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com/the-mastermind. And we’ll link that up in the show notes as well. And you’re going to find more details as well as the link to the application.

And I do want to let you know that enrolment for my next cohort will be opening soon. So I highly encourage you to apply sooner rather than later, as this next cohort is going to be starting soon.

And so, for those of you who are also in the process of, or you’re looking to scale your business in 2021. So, if you are at a point where you have hit six figures in your business or you’re trending towards six figures in your business, I want to invite you to apply to my high-level mastermind.  I’m also going to link up the application link in the show notes.

I’m going to be opening up enrollment for that program soon as well. So, if you are ready to scale, and you want to go big in 2021, and you’re ready to scale to multi-figures, and you know you need high-level strategy along with the highest level of mindset, I invite you to apply.

And I want to encourage you as well that if you aren’t quite there yet, if you aren’t quite at that six-figure level, that you also forward that on to someone that you know that is. It’s a high-level, high-caliber program, and the work that we do is not only designed to create success right now in your business, but it’s also work that is going to set you up for sustainable success in the long term.

And so, my goal is to help all of my clients to build highly profitable businesses that are sustainable and successful, not just in the short term but over the long term. And that’s really, really key. And the truth is is that now more than ever that’s really important to set your business up for that level of success. And so, the work that we’re doing is really leading edge. I invite you to apply. I’m excited to see you there.

All right. Let’s talk about strategy today, you all. This is a really important topic. And what I want to talk to you about today is not something that I have spent a whole lot of time talking about before on the podcast.

And it’s a concept that I have mentioned, but I haven’t really gone deep with it. And so, something that I want to talk to you today about and really spend some time with is one of the most important things that I think you need to understand. And I think you need to adapt in your business and really take action upon.

And so, that is working your plan. And in my experience the work that I have done with my clients, and in all of the businesses that I have built over my career, it really does take a combination of not only the mindset, the high-level mindset, and personal responsibility, and self-leadership and all of the things that I do talk about very in depth on this podcast. But it also requires a very strong strategy.

And so, I want to start by saying that the idea of strategy, the importance of strategy. And when I say strategy, I want to be clear that I’m talking about specific pieces. There are specific things that no matter what type of business you own, no matter what type of business you are growing, no matter what niche you might be in, there are certain aspects that must be in place in order for your business to grow. And so that’s really what I’m meaning when I’m referring to that.

And so, I want to tell you that I’m a firm believer that within every strategy there are those certain key elements, those certain key pillars that are required for any business. It doesn’t matter, again, if it’s a coaching practice, a consulting practice, an agency, or service-based business. There really are so many different types of business where this applies.

And so where I see a lot of coaches especially get tripped up is when it comes to the strategy. And what tends to happen, and I see this all too often, is that coaches either, number one, don’t have a strategy. Or the second scenario is that they think they have a strategy, but they actually don’t.

And so what happens is, instead of having what I call a holistic strategy. A strategy that is all encompassing, that actually helps them build their brand, it helps them build their business in the long term, they might have pieces of that. And so, one of the things that I have learned, and one of the reasons why I’ve designed my programs the way I’ve designed them, and the reason I work with clients in the capacity that I work with clients, is because it’s very important that you take a customized approach to your business.

And so, because of the way that I’ve structured my business I’m able to help my clients get tremendous results very quickly. And the reason for that is because we are applying, we’re implementing a customized strategy that works for them, plays to their strengths, and also their business. And so with that, it’s one thing to have the strategy. So, I think we can all agree that it’s important to have a clear strategy. And to have a holistic strategy.

The other piece to this is the actual follow through on that strategy. And that’s what I would say is what I would call working the plan. And there’s a lot of reasons why I believe that this is one of the most important things that I think you can do as you’re growing your business. And I want to take some time and talk through that today.

One of the most important reasons why you want to have a strategy is because it allows you to move through the fear and the doubt when you’re in the process. Okay? So, let me explain that.

So, when you’re first building your business you’re brain, and your subconscious in particular, tend to be on overdrive. And it tends to be on overdrive as you start to step out and you start advertising your business. And as you start putting yourself out in a different way and you start taking action, new action in your business, especially when you start taking action that you’ve never taken before.

And so, when it’s on overdrive, when you’re taking this action in this new way, you’re essentially threatening what your brain perceives as “normal”. And so, what will happen is that your brain immediately looks to you and shows you evidence as to why whatever it is that you’re trying to do does not appear to be safe.

And when it’s in that place and when that happens, the effect of that is that you start to have all sorts of thoughts. You start to see all sorts of evidence around you that starts justifying the fear. It starts justifying the doubt. And for most people, and especially coaches, this can be a really uncomfortable place to be. And it’s uncomfortable because you’re literally psychologically in conflict with who you think you are. You’re in conflict with who you think you are on the path to who you’re becoming.

And so you’re in this place where you don’t yet have your new evidence. So your subconscious is constantly either looking to the past, it’s working to justify your fear. It’s working to justify your doubt. Whatever it is that’s coming up for you, it’s looking to justify whatever that is.

And what happens is, and I see this a lot, is that once that starts to take over, we then start to make decisions that are coming from a place of fear. And we start to take actions that are coming from a place a fear. And very quickly I see a lot of entrepreneurs start to lose ground. And what happens is they actually start going in the opposite direction of where they really want to go.

But this is where the plan comes in. And this is why it’s really important to consider what your plan is. Because having a plan, having a strategy, and then actually working that plan, working that strategy is what will actually allow you to shift your focus. It’s what will allow you to direct your attention and make decisions that are in alignment with your overall goal. And so it’s a highly effective way of managing your brain. Especially when the fear is present. Especially when there is doubt.

And I want to share with you all, I had a big realization about this earlier in, I believe it was, I can’t remember the date exactly. But it was early in 2020, I had a big realization about this. And what had happened was I was coaching a client of mine and we were talking about her strategy. So, we were kind of reflecting and looking at how far she had come in her business. We were looking at her year, and what an amazing year she had had, and what she’d been able to create in her business.

And in that conversation, it became very clear as I was looking at her business and looking at what our plans were for the next 12 months, and just kind of looking at things for the long term. And what became really clear to me was how important her having her strategy really was.

And so, what I will tell you is that the strategy that we had laid out initially, we had implemented. She had worked hard, she had implemented, and she had followed through on a lot of that strategy. And what was interesting is that when we started working together, she had seen some success in her business prior to working together.

And within just a matter of weeks, literally, once we implemented, we started to implement the strategy, once she was clear on what that was, she was able to create, essentially, a whole new business. Her business was drastically different. And what happened was that her business was already trending way ahead of where she had been all the years prior.

And I have to tell you, that’s usually the case. Usually when I start working with clients it’s really a matter of things looking extremely different than they do when we originally start working together. And it happens very, very quickly.

And so, I noticed this with this particular client, it just hit me for whatever reason as we were talking that, of course, what was within the strategy was important. But almost what I could see was more important for her was to actually have the clarity of that strategy. And that clarity allowed her to move forward in such a different way in her business. It allowed her to implement so many things in such a different way. And in a much quicker way than she ever had before.

And so when I really step back and I observe this with all of my clients I really do believe that it comes back to having the power of a strategy and then working that strategy.

And so let’s talk about why this is so important from a psychological level. The reason this is so important is because in the process of building a business, what happens is that there’s a real shift in identity that has to occur.

And, in fact, I will tell you the first episode of this podcast, I dedicated the very first show to, it’s called the identity shift. And I highly recommend you go back and listen to that episode if you haven’t already. In fact, I just had a client recently tell me that they listened to it four times in a row. I recommend that you listen to it because this is exactly what happens.

You will go through an identity shift. And when you’re going through that identity shift, when you are in that place where you’re in between who you’ve been and you’re becoming this new version of yourself. This is especially when it’s important that you’re working your plan. And the reason is, because as you’re stepping into these new levels, as you’re becoming a true business owner, you’re going to encounter all the emotional, all the psychological difficulties that come through when you’re going through a major transition, when you’re going through a major shift like this.

And so, your strategy and your plan is even more important when you’re in this place. And when you’re up against these emotional challenges, when you’re up against the self-doubt, when you’re up against all of the fear, this is when it makes a difference. Because when you can have the clarity, when you know what your plan is, when you know what that strategy is you can shift your focus. You can shift your attention to your plan. You can take steps and take action towards this plan.

And that is when you can start to move through the fear. This is when you can start to build momentum. And my friends, when you start to build momentum and you are able to start to see progress in your business, what happens is that your brain starts to recognize this as new evidence. It starts to recognize and acknowledge your progress. And this is when you start changing old belief systems. This is why this is important.

The last thing that I want to offer to you on this is, in terms of why this is so important, is because it’s proactive. So, working with a strategy, working with a plan is a proactive approach. It’s a proactive approach versus a reactive approach. And I can’t tell you how many coaches that I’ve talked with and that I see in the industry that are reacting in their business versus being intentional and proactive in their business.

And again, this isn’t just from a tangible perspective, but again this is from a psychological perspective, being able to move forward proactively is so, so important. Because it not only helps you to be in the process, it helps to keep you moving forward. Which helps you to hone your skills even further. Which ultimately helps you focus on the things that you need to be focusing on. It helps you build your case where you’re able to start proving to yourself that you can do it. And so, once this shift starts happening internally that’s when things start shifting externally.

All right. The last piece that I will say on this for today is that this is also 100% a decision. And what I mean by that is you always have a choice. You always have a choice no matter what it is that you might be facing. No matter what thoughts your brain might be offering to you for evidence. You have a choice whether or not you give in to the fear. You have a choice as to whether or not you’re going to allow the fear to take over. You have the choice as to what you’re going to focus on.

So, when you have the strategy, when you have a game plan, it gives you the how. Now, the how you might originally start out with will evolve. It will change as you and your business changes. But the important part of this is that it will give you the how.

And it’s important because our brains are always looking for that how. We always want to know the how because we want certainty. So, this will free you up mental space, my friends. It will create more capacity. It will help you create more room for other things. Whereas, when we don’t know the how, when we’re constantly questioning the how, when we’re thinking about the how, when we don’t see the how our brains will constantly be searching for that. It will constantly be looking for that certainty and for that security.

So, if for no other reason, I want you to be able to free up your mental capacity. I want you to free up space. Which is why I believe having a strategy and working that strategy is so, so important to your success. Because the only thing that your subconscious can’t argue with is results.

And when you’re following and implementing a smart strategy in your business, when you start creating real results that’s when you really start to integrate your thinking. That’s when you start to change your patterns of thought. And this is how you start to change past belief systems. And within this, this is where you actually become that next version of yourself.

All right, my friends. If you know you need a strategy and you’re ready to make 2021 a breakthrough year in your business I invite you to apply for The Mastermind. You can find the link in the show notes or go directly to amadakarlstadcoaching.com/the-mastermind and apply.

We’ve got a cohort starting soon. I’d love to help you implement a real strategy in your business. One that is actually going to help you get results, that is going to help you move the needle. One that is actually going to help you build, grow, and scale. All right everyone, have an amazing week. I’ll talk to you all again soon. Take care. Bye-bye.

Hey, if you’re ready for a real breakthrough in your business and want to grow and scale your business to at least six-figures or more in annual revenue, I invite you to apply for my exclusive program The Mastermind at amandakarlstadcoaching.com/the-mastermind. I look forward to seeing you there.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Life Coach Business Podcast. If you want to learn more about how to build, grow, and scale your business and accelerate your results visit amandakarlstadcoaching.com.