Power of Iterations • How I Unleashed my Boutique Brand Organically

In this series...
Power of Iterations • How I Unleashed my Genius Organically
Power of Iterations • How I Unleashed my Boutique Brand Organically
Power of Iterations • How I Unleashed my Masterclass Organically
Power of Iterations • How I Built my Signature Program Organically

This week, doing the right things in the right order is the focus. 

You must know your ideal client before you tailor your curriculum to their deepest needs.

You must build a dream team (even if it just starts with one, plus you) before you dive into recording/editing or you won't make it to the finish line.

You must define your suite of products/services before you create opt-ins or lead magnets that convert toward sales.

ITERATION 0 • SELF-ASSESSMENT

As you know by now, I always start with an assessment of what is. You can't get to your destination if you've lost track of where you currently are.

So let's go through all 9 modules of Part 2 • Create the Business Lab, item by item. When I started my freedompreneurship journey:

1. Enlightened Goals (3/10) • I was clear on a few goals of NEVER again working for a man or The Man, of ONLY doing work that is meaningful to me, and of building something that would lead to more and more freedom (as opposed to more and more busyness). Beyond that, I had no idea what my goals were.
2. Daring Team Leadership (0/10) • I was your ultimate shoulder-the-entire-burden-of-the-world lone wolf, so the idea of being supported was faaaaaar outside my realm of consciousness.
3. Ideal Client Avatar Part 1​ (2/10) • I had no idea who my ideal client was. But I knew what I didn't want, which is often how women process choice. I knew I didn't want to work with close-minded people unwilling to do the work in order to achieve their desire.
4. Branding with Archetypes (0/10) • I had never heard of it branding nor archetypes, so that scored a zero.
5. Ideal Client Avatar Part 2 (3/10) • Since I had no idea who my ideal client was, there was no way for me to identify where they congregated. But I had an intuitive hope that they were right there under my nose, in all the places I naturally love hanging out.
6. Branding Deck Simplified (1/10) • Again, never heard of branding and never knew the critical role it played in prosperity. But at least I knew the colors and vibe I wanted my website to have: pink and teal. So that's worth a 1/10.
7. Unique Methodology (2/10) • Here, I gave myself a 2/10 because even though, again, I didn't know what was unique about the way I did business or coached, I knew what I didn't want. I didn't want to be an asshole, I didn't want to follow the loud rah-rah-rah 20-something white boys who knew nothing about how women function and therefore how women need to be held in the area of marketing/self-expression.
8. Product Sequencing (3/10) • Being an INFJ, and having a structural/engineering "J" superpower, I understood fairly quickly the concept of lead magnet --> opt-in --> nurture sequence --> free offer --> low cost offer --> medium offer --> larger offer. I just wasn't super clear what my offers were.
9. Six-figure Calculator (5/10) • Also being a math and science geek, I knew the power of reverse engineering and working my way back from a six-figure income goal. I could get one $100,000 paying client all the way down to 1,000 clients buying a $100 product, or any combination in between. I understood the statistical nature of the game: if 100 people opt-in, only 5 will buy my larger offer. So if 1000 opt-in, then ~40-50 will buy my larger offer, and so on. I. Love. Spreadsheets. (If you don't, that's 100% ok, find someone who does who will gladly and passionately support you with yours.)

ITERATION NO. 1 • OUT OF THE GATE

On the next iteration, (I don't know how I knew this, but) I just knew that if I was going to take my business seriously, I needed to move all the areas of Creating the Business Lab out of the gate. I had read enough online and in books to know this.

1. Enlightened Goals (5/10) • Being in the personal development world put me in touch with a lot of coaches doing vision boards and emphasizing the power of having big dreams. When I walked into my first coach training session and we were asked to share our dream, I panicked and invented a fake one because I didn't have one! No one had ever taught me to dream. I was 31 years old before the word "dream" entered my life. But I did my best, I set some goals around working two days a week, so I'd have time to travel and be with friends.
2. Daring Team Leadership (1/10) • Because my coach training certification required a mentor coach, I hired some support. But I'm pretty sure that with my scarcity upbringing, I wouldn't have hired one if it were optional.
3. Ideal Client Avatar Part 1 (6/10) • In the Spring, I was flown to a scholarship alumni conference that takes place every 3 years and was submerged with out-of-this-world inspiring overachievers, my people! Boom! Aha! That's my ideal client avatar: overachievers!
4. Branding with Archetypes (1/10) • At this phase, I still knew nothing about archetypes and how insanely useful they are for branding a business. But I read up on everything I could get my hands on about personal and spiritual archetypes. And was anxiously hoping a magical aha moment would strike on how that would translate into my business brand. I say it often and I'll keep saying it, "Forward is forward."
5. Ideal Client Avatar Part 2 (7/10) • In terms of where my avatar congregates? Duh, at leadership conferences, award ceremonies, MBA graduations, board of organizations, etc. They do gather, I just needed to get myself in front of them more often and more consistently.
6. Branding Deck Simplified (3/10) • I still didn't know much about branding in general, but I held on to the powerful inquiry of, "How do you want people to feel when engaging with you / your business?"
7. Unique Methodology (4/10) • My unique approach also rose a bit as I studied what my peers where doing. I liked 20% of how they were doing business/coaching but I disagreed with the other 80%. I knew I wanted ease and flow in all my work and interactions, for myself and my clients.
8. Product Sequencing (5/10) • I started inventing e-books, webinars, things I could string together to create that funnel and nurture sequence. Many of the products/services never saw the light of day, but at least I created more than I would have had I not invented a product sequence.
9. Six-figure Calculator (7/10) • With this ideal product sequence in place, my spreadsheet got even clearer of how much time and products/services would lead to how many dollars in income and in profit. It doesn't mean I hit those financial targets right away, but being clear is more than half the battle won.

ITERATION NO. 2 • OFF TO THE RACES!

And now, we are off to the races! It is simple physics: the hardest part is mustering up enough energy (and courage) to overcome the initial resistance and then there's momentum to keep things rolling more effortlessly.

1. Enlightened Goals (8/10) • Once my coaching supervision mentor and I completed our sessions, I hired a six-figure mentor. I invested a fortune and was dead serious about making this work. All in! And she helped me dream a little bigger and lay out concrete goals for my short-term and long-term future. Even though we have lost touch, I am forever grateful for her belief in me. Her championing love lives forever in my heart.
2. Daring Team Leadership (4/10) • I also reached a point where I felt like I wanted to die each time I was doing admin or copy/paste work. So I went on upwork.com (called elance back then) and hired my first VA. Though the relationship only lasted a few months, at least I no longer had depressive bouts of wanting to die.
3. Ideal Client Avatar Part 1 (9/10) • It took coaching one man for one session to realize, nope! I only want to coach women lol! I also coached 2-3 women in their non-entrepreneurial careers and it became crystal clear: I only want to coach globetrotting, overachieving, women entrepreneurs! Boom, ideal client avatar named in 4 words or less!
4. Branding with Archetypes (3/10) • I was still struggling in this arena because all I read about branding were from marketing people, with no spiritual guidance. And all I read about archetypes were from spiritual people, with no marketing guidance.
5. Ideal Client Avatar Part 2 (7/10) • Being able to name my avatar in 4 words or less helped enormously with copywriting, refining my program modules, tailoring my unique approach, etc., but it didn't change the fact of where my clients gathered and how I was going to reach them. 
6. Branding Deck Simplified (6/10) • With testing out different VA's, hiring an ad-hoc graphic designer, and having more people come in and out of my business, I caught on how important it was to capture my business in a simple branding deck, so I wouldn't have to continuously repeat myself and fetch them fonts, links, logos, passwords, etc. Everything would be in one place.
7. Unique Methodology (5/10) • My unique methodology kept growing organically, being fine tuned here and there. I don't think anyone could just sit down with a blank piece of paper and sketch out their unique approach in one sitting. It takes real live people, actual ideal clients or customers to give you feedback, to tell you what they appreciated and/or wanted more of. It takes a loving community to mirror back to you your unique traits, gifts and glories. It takes a lot of personal development and shedding of your inner demons and lack of self-worth to be able to receive those acknowledgments and see your own greatness!
8. Product Sequencing (6/10)• With time, and the tortoise approach (slow and steady wins the race), I did develop more e-products and service packages. When I listened to 3 minutes of my first 2-part e-course (<-- read that again, it started with a 2-part e-course, and years later grew into a 27-module Opportestiny™ Masterclass), I swear I wanted to vomit. I couldn't stand my own voice and I couldn't make it past 3:01min. I literally have zero idea what else is in that recording. Lol!
9. Six-figure Calculator (7/10) • My number goals stayed the same. No movement isn't failure. No movement simply meant I was already clear, and I was working on some of the other areas. You CAN have it all, but you CAN'T build it all at once by yourself.

Last week, we looked at the first two iterations of Create the Business Lab. This week, we'll look at the tipping point, growth spur and evergreen growth iterations of Create the Business Lab.

ITERATION NO. 3 • THE TIPPING POINT

On the 3rd iteration of these 9 elements of creating a business lab, where I get to play and experiment with top notch clients, I achieved major breakthroughs. For me, tipping points usually occurred in Year 3, each iteration being from 6 months to 18 months long. So this is an average. You might surpass me and hit tipping points in iteration no. 1! You may need longer, be compassionate with self and others. Perfection is never a lame goal: you'll never achieve it, that I can promise you.

1. Enlightened Goals (8/10) • My goals didn't change, I was still clear, I just needed to keep practicing a heeeeeeap of self-compassion and patience.
2. Daring Team Leadership (4/10) • I was coasting along, with a VA. At least I didn't feel like crap anymore at the mere thought of admin tasks, that's a major improvement! I just didn't have the capacity to upgrade everything, all at once and wanted to hone in on my brand and my unique approach, so I can claim a space and be known for freedom.
3. Ideal Client Avatar Part 1 (9/10) • I terms of avatar, as I was shedding shame and perfectionism through Brené Brown's Daring Way™ certification program, I was learning the power of being blissfully content with "good enough."
4. Branding with Archetypes (5/10)• A friend also did a branding with archetypes exercise with me, but I didn't feel 100% resonant with the results. Obviously, it was a self-assessment, so the "self" that was assessing my own brand wasn't my truest and highest Self. But forward is forward!
5. Ideal Client Avatar Part 2  (7/10) • Same as Avatar (Part 1) above.
6. Branding Deck Simplified (8/10) • One of the best leadership skills I ever realized I had was the ability to make the tough call to pull back, in order to launch forward (like in archery). Even though it meant serving a few less clients, making a little less money for a little while, I carved out and prioritized the time to complete my Branding Deck, so that I would never again have to repeat myself like a parrot about my what my business is about. Hallelujah!
7. Unique Methodology (6/10) • It's so challenging to articulate your own uniqueness and greatness, and I figured out why!! If we could see, acknowledge and articulate why we are unique and great, we would never again need another human. Humans are wired for connection. So in a cheaky way, we came to Earth programmed this way, with blindspots around our uniqueness and greatness, so that we connect with the right people, our people, so that through community and love, they serve as mirrors to help us see our glory. Life / The Grand Design has a cheeky sense of humour!
8. Product Sequencing (7/10) • I'm trudging alone, left foot, right foot, left root, right foot. Rome was not built in a day!
9. Six-figure Calculator (8/10) • A little upgrade here as well. You know you're nearing the tipping point when suddenly progress feels so sloooooow and everything feels like it's taking forever to manifest.

ITERATION NO. 4 • GROWTH SPUR

Just like after any storm, the sun eventually comes out, after any tipping point, the growth spur shoots up and all your work, dedication, focus and discipline bear fruit!

1. Enlightened Goals (8/10) • Goals stayed the same. They held strong a true. Sometimes, no movement on the goals front is a powerful sign that these are soul-aligned goals.
2. Daring Team Leadership (7/10) • After completing my year-long Leadership program, and being so loved and held by my tribe, I opened my wallet wide, wide open and hired every support person I could think of: a branding strategist, a content strategist, a social media assistant, a graphic designer, an assistant program leader, and more! I was so, so, so, so, so, so done lone wolfing my life.
3. Ideal Client Avatar Part 1 (10/10) • After freeing up your time, identifying your ideal client is THE most significant act of clarity and liberation you can gift your business. By guiding my clients to claim and articulate their ideal client, I knew mine would never change: it's still globetrotting overachieving women entrepreneurs. What has changed is my level of clarity to 10/10!
4. Branding with Archetypes (7/10) • About a year later, I redid the branding wtih archetypes self-assessment with my newest and truest Self. And there! The new results I got this time around resonated like a giant gong inside my chest! I'd found my top two business brand archetypes and they looked exactly like my social media feed! I was on brand and I didn't even know it, lol!
5. Ideal Client Avatar Part 2 (8/10) • Ironically, it's by not trying to find my ideal clients that they found me. I simply lived my life, traveled, went to retreats and events that I adore. And they called me, asking me to coach/mentor them.
6. Branding Deck Simplified (9/10) • Now that my Branding Deck was solid, I guided my clients in creating their branding deck, so they too wouldn't have to ever again repeat themselves like parrots about what they do.
7. Unique Methodology (9/10) • During this time, I went to a higher consciousness retreat and was talking about being a cryer my entire lief, as if I carried the world's grief in my chest. What other explanation was there to explain how I cried myself to sleep every day for the two decades? And my spiritual mentor said, "Often, when we cry like that, it's because something is trying to get out. What if it's not grief? What else is trying to come out?" And bam! It hit me: grace. Grace was trying to come out. And bam! There it was, the word that encapsulates my unique methodology: grace, which I defined as the convergence of ease, peace, joy, truth and trust. Bam! Bam!
8. Product Sequencing (8/10) • At this stage, I learned to power of re-purposing and re-packaging my content into various types of products. It was so fun! I was rolling around in blissful creative freedom, and created whatever I wanted, left, right and center! Woo!
9. Six-figure Calculator (9/10) • And thanks to having multiple products, I was able to sequence them so one product advertised the next, and so my products were doing marketing for me and for each other, while I was sleeping! It's like having elves work for me in the middle of the night :D