What do you do if your business strategy as a self-employed professional isn't yielding desired results?

From my experience, people often focus on tasks that don't significantly move the needle. For example: - I was helping a client who wanted to generate more leads. He was putting a lot of effort into having the best website, the best LinkedIn content, and the most polished LinkedIn posts. - However, the only thing he should have focused on was running lead generation ads. Focus on the one thing that will give you the most results.

Ask questions. Ask yourself, ask current and former clients, ask peers. Try to uncover the blind spots that exist for us as self-employed professionals. Listen, write it down, restate what you heard. Even our own interpretations of what we "think we heard" are sometimes not accurate. Finding these blind spots and false assumptions are important for identifying the obstacles and barriers that prevent us from reaching the desired goals.

If your business strategy as a self-employed individual isn't yielding desired results, start by evaluating your current business approach. Identify where things are going wrong, whether it's the target audience, niche, or market focus. Narrowing down your market focus can help bring clarity and precision. Talk to mentors, peers, and your customers to gather insights and feedback. Make the necessary changes, experiment with new tactics, and consider pivoting your strategy if needed. All the while, keep a close eye on performance metrics to ensure your changes are making an impact, and maintain a growth mindset to stay adaptable and open to new opportunities.

Reassessing goals can sometimes be an excuse for not facing the real issue—execution. It's easy to keep changing goals when results aren't coming, but this could be a way of avoiding the hard truth that your strategy or execution might be flawed. Steve Jobs didn't succeed because he constantly shifted goals but because he doubled down on the right ones. Instead of just reassessing goals, reassess your commitment to executing them with excellence.

Periodically reassess your business goals to ensure they align with your current circumstances. Goals set at the start of your venture may become outdated or unachievable, leading to frustration. By re-evaluating your objectives, you can set new, realistic targets that reflect the evolving market and your professional growth. This might involve scaling back certain ambitions or refocusing on areas with the most growth potential, helping you stay on track and motivated.

El análisis de datos es esencial para la estrategia empresarial porque proporciona la base para la toma de decisiones informadas, identifica oportunidades de mejora, permite personalizar estrategias, monitorea el rendimiento y fomenta la innovación. Sin un enfoque basado en datos, las empresas corren el riesgo de tomar decisiones erróneas que pueden afectar su éxito a largo plazo. El análisis de datos permite a las empresas identificar problemas ocultos y tomar decisiones más informadas. Las organizaciones que utilizan estas herramientas tienen más probabilidades de mejorar su eficiencia y aumentar sus ingresos, ya que pueden experimentar con productos y servicios, así como responder mejor a las necesidades del consumidor.

If you don't measure, you don't care. You can only improve what you measure. When you know all your metrics, it's easy to identify the bottleneck and determine where to focus to have the most impact on your business.

In the digital age, data is a goldmine of insights. As a self-employed professional, consistently track and analyze business data, including sales figures, customer feedback, website traffic, and other relevant metrics. By interpreting this data, you can identify patterns and trends that inform smarter decisions. You might find that some services are more popular or that a particular marketing channel isn't performing as expected, allowing you to adjust strategies for better results.

Analyze your data to understand what's going wrong. In my early days at Plentra, I launched a campaign expecting strong sales, but results were poor. Instead of guessing, I dove into the data—traffic, customer behavior, and feedback—and discovered that while people were visiting, they weren’t converting because the checkout process was complicated. Simplifying it improved sales. The lesson: data reveals insights you might miss, so always dig into it to make informed decisions and course-correct effectively.

When I was learning to play chess, the best way to improve wasn't by playing more games but by seeking feedback and reviewing previous games. It might sound boring, but you'd be amazed at how much you can improve just by seeking feedback. Another pair of eyes can really help point out mistakes that you might not notice. It's like when a friend tells you your zipper is open - sometimes, you need an outside perspective to see what you can't.

Never underestimate the power of client feedback. Clients experience your products or services firsthand and can offer valuable insights into what's working and what needs improvement. Seek feedback through surveys, direct communication, or social media engagement. This helps you identify areas for enhancement and strengthens client relationships by showing that you value their opinions.

Seek feedback from your customers and peers. Early on at Plentra, I noticed a dip in user engagement but wasn’t sure why. I decided to reach out directly to our users for their insights. Their feedback revealed that the onboarding process was confusing. By making adjustments based on their suggestions, we significantly improved user retention. The takeaway: feedback is invaluable. Engaging with your audience can highlight issues you might not see and help you pivot your strategy effectively.

If your strategy isn't yielding results, consider adjusting your offerings. I initially focused on a comprehensive suite of features, but many potential users found it overwhelming. After gathering feedback, I decided to simplify our offerings and create tiered packages tailored to different business needs. This change made our platform more accessible, leading to a significant increase in sign-ups and user satisfaction. The lesson here is that sometimes less is more; adapting your offerings to meet customer preferences can revitalize your business strategy.

Adjusting offerings might feel like a fix, but it can dilute your brand's core identity. Instead of continually tweaking your services to chase trends, consider refining and perfecting your current offerings. Seth Godin emphasizes the power of being remarkable in a specific niche rather than being everything to everyone. Focus on becoming the best at what you do, rather than expanding into areas that may weaken your brand.

If your current offerings aren't resonating with your target audience, it may be time to adjust them. Consider tweaking existing products or services to better align with client needs and preferences, or develop new ones. Stay informed about industry trends and listen to customer feedback to guide these changes. The goal is to create a suite of offerings that appeal to your market while remaining sustainable for you to deliver.

I relied heavily on broad social media ads, which didn't yield the expected engagement. After analyzing the data, I realized my target audience wasn’t responding to those channels. I shifted my strategy to focus on content marketing and community engagement, providing value through informative blogs and webinars tailored to specific customer needs. This targeted approach increased our visibility and connected us more effectively with potential clients. The key takeaway: adapt your marketing to align with where your audience is and what they value.

Reassess and adjust by: - Evaluating your target market, services and UVP. - Analyzing financials, marketing efforts and sales performance - Gathering feedback from clients, peers and mentors - Identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes - Exploring new opportunities, skills and partnerships - Creating a revised action plan with measurable goals and timelines By taking a step back, assessing and adapting, you can refine your strategy, optimize operations and get back on track to achieving your business objectives.

A participa??o em redes de networking como o BNI, por exemplo, é uma excelente forma de alavancar os resultados nos negócios de profissionais aut?nomos pois os relacionamentos criados entre os profissionais, favorecem a gera??o de negócios entre eles a partir do momento que, por um lado, aumenta o conhecimento sobre aquele profissional, e, por outro lado, aumenta o conhecimento sobre o trabalho que ele executa.

Relying too heavily on networks can create dependency rather than resilience. While networking is valuable, overemphasizing it might cause you to lean on others for opportunities instead of creating your own. Henry Ford believed in building strength from within—if you’re always seeking external help, you might never fully realize your potential. Use networks as a supplement, not a crutch—true success is built on self-reliance.