3 Costly Business Mistakes I Made that You Can Avoid

In 9 years of operating my own business, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes.

I DIYed a lot early on, which made learning the hard way my default.

I like to think that I invite hard in, just as I do feeling like a failure, because it makes me better as a business owner, a person, and a coach.

I like to call it failing up.

I’m stumbling because it’s a new staircase and I’m a bit in the dark.

Just need to let the "old eyes" adjust a bit so I can get more certain footing.

Not a problem.

And that’s the perfect segue - or at least a segue - into what I want to talk to you about today, which is to “turn the light on” for you so you’re not fumbling around or falling down the stairs like I did when I was where you are now.

I'm going to start by giving you the specific mistake I made, then I'll zoom out so you can see how this might apply to your specific business.

Mistake #1: Too Many Offers

I've talked about this publicly before, but when I first started my business I had 30 offers.

As a full stack marketer and someone who's helped grow companies to 9-figure acquisitions over the course of nearly a decade at that point, I knew a lot about a lot. So, I figured, I'd just offer a lot to see what stuck!

Very rarely do I meet someone in the services industry who has 30 offers.

On the other hand, it's quite common for someone in the product space to have 30 offers.

What I really want you to think about when it comes to this mistake is do you have the perfect number of offers for you?

I knew I didn't because deep in my gut these were born out of a desperation to make my business successful. It was also really hard for me to have proof of concept because every client would purchase something different.

I had to draft different proposals (much more work!) and come up with pricing for every bespoke offer - let alone learning how to sell each one.

"I was making tiny sums of money, losing profit, and sinking so much unnecessary time into the work."

I was ghosted for payments, taken advantage of, and used for free advice over and over by people saying they “just needed more information” or a “trial of my work to make sure it was a good fit.”

They weren't being spiteful, they were confused.

I also realized that most of this work I resented and didn't even like!

I was burnt out, exhausted, stressed, and miserable. I also had a really crazy portfolio of work that wasn’t showing my expertise at all.

Once I drilled down to just 3 core offers I enjoyed, I made 1,800% more money. I was attracting clients that paid me $3,000 at a time versus $300 and doing less work, getting them better results!

I also had proof of concept, a streamlined process, testimonials, and received regular referrals.

Whether you feel like you are selling too many things or not enough things, I encourage you to seek out your favorites. Pursue joy, ease, and spaciousness in your business.

There’s freedom in that.

There’s also discipline, which I know I needed and gained by drilling down to those core offers I loved to sell and knew I could deliver on time and time again.

Mistake #2: Poor Feedback Loops

This mistake is a two-for-one because I screwed this up on both ends of the spectrum.

At first, I took all of the suggestions of clients and ended up offering way too much, exhausting myself, and unselling a ton of amazing clients.

Then, I took no feedback and just offered what I wanted to, which led to a lot less people working with me and a much harder time coming up with valuable things to offer as I grew my business.

Now, I like a blend – and I like it from both passive and active actions.

So, I will listen to what clients ask for and need and I will notice what they’re loving, needing, or lacking.

When I started 1:1 coaching, I was just leaning into a general call framework.

You bring me some issues, I’ll help you solve them.

Nothing too involved.

Then, over time, I noticed most of my clients would ask for or need help with the same things in the same order. Slowly, I documented all of it, and that went on to become my copyrighted eight-step framework for authentic business-building.

I also have a much easier time working with clients and guiding them to results because I can predict what they need based on where they are in those 8-steps.

It makes selling and helping them achieve the outcomes they desire a lot easier and more fun!

My point here is to be mindful of the feedback you take in and apply to your business. Always be cautious around sample sizes of one.

If one customer is unhappy, that is not a pattern or a sign you need to change anything...yet.

Don’t act out of fear or frustration.

If multiple people are saying the same thing, or if you’re feeling an internal confirmation of something you’ve already believed to be true, lean in.

Get curious. Dive deeper. Then make fast, calculated decisions.

Mistake #3: Not Allowing Ease

I’m still learning this one, but I’ve gotten a lot better and I feel like it’s too important not to include in this episode.

So far, every time my business has gotten to the point where it's thriving and things feel easy, I add work to my plate.

I take on too many clients, add a new offer, switch up my funnels – in short, I self-sabotage.

If you have ever felt like your life is not as easy as it could be, you’re right.

There’s a big world of possibilities, and just because you CAN create more, do more, be more - whatever - doesn’t mean you have to.

You get to choose, and I hope you start to choose YOU over everything else because I am starting to choose me and it feels fantastic.

I’m cutting work days short to cook healthy meals, spending more time with family instead of reading books on my own, traveling because I love it, and working in hours that work for me.

I’m leaning into the question, “what do I really want right now?” and not filtering my answers based on should's, could's, or have to’s.

Some days feel harder than others, but every day I close my eyes and ask myself, “am I proud of what I accomplished today?” and all I want is a simple YES!

I don’t need to get it all done or even the right balance day-to-day.

All I need is to feel good about myself, the actions I take, and how I feel.

These changes have led to some big personal wins:

• Losing weight I’ve had on my body for YEARS
• 100% yes’s on all sales conversations since August
• Spending double the time with my kids as I did months ago

My clients are also reaping the rewards, with wins including:

• Hitting $50k months
• Firing clients who weren't a fit
• Improving customer retention by over 50%
• Cutting back work time without sacrificing income

The benefits are incredible across the board – and your next big win is just around the corner, too. I feel it.