Last post, I told the story about how, when my daughter was born, my values shifted and I had to change the shape of my business to support my lifestyle. I shared that I decided to purposefully downsize my business to spend more time with my daughter (read it HERE).
The year that I was pregnant, I methodically built-in systems and structure to be able to gracefully downsize to spend more time with my daughter. We accomplished that goal with 5 stars. But… I forgot to think any further than what happens when my daughter turned one.
I assumed that when I was ready to come back and work full time again (whatever that looked like) my revenue would automatically increase. And yet, when I took the year off, although the business sustained itself, I wasn’t focused on growth. I forgot to continue growing my list.
When I did come back to work full time, I did not meet my revenue goals. It took an extra year to catch up because I had no new leads in the pipeline. To be completely honest, I’d also gotten pretty lazy and cocky about my reputation in the industry and assumed that people would wait around until I was ready to sell them something. #notsomuch
If I had put just a little more effort into continuously list building – even when I was technically “not working” – it would have helped me get back into the game more effortlessly.
Don’t get me wrong, I definitely got back on track. It just took about a year longer than I wanted it to. And I learned that whether you’re moving and grooving or you’re struggling to get clients, list building is always, always, always important.
(Side note: yes, list building is also important even if you typically only work one-on-one with clients. Referrals are great, but the frequency with which they arrive in your inbox can be unpredictable. When you’re consistently building your list, you’ll see a steady stream of new leads and clients coming through your door.)
If you’re a coach who dreams of the day you’ll have passive revenue coming in from a program you’ve created… well, sorry to burst the bubble, but the list building work never ends! In fact, if I could go back and change one thing about my year away, I wish I had designated one person on my team who only focused on list building for the entire year, even when I didn’t need to grow the business.
How to Grow Your List
By now, you’re probably wondering about some ways to build your list – especially if you’re on a tight budget.
Every coach that wants to stay in business should focus at least 25% of their time and energy on list building, and I promise, it’s not as hard/scary/impossible as it might seem from a distance. Go ahead and check out my 5 Favorite List Building Strategies to learn more.
Do you have a list building strategy that works really well for your business? Share in the comments area below to join the conversation.
