In April 2020 I will have been running my own business for ten years. Ten years!
I was going to write that I still feel like a beginner. But when I check in with that statement, I realise it’s not true. Because I’ve learned SO much over the past ten years. And the key lesson has been learning to trust what works for ME (even if others are doing things differently).
I spent the longest time looking outside for the answers and believing that others held the secret. But as I’ve grown and evolved, noted what works and what doesn’t, I’ve realised that leaning into what feels aligned for me is ALWAYS the most powerful way forward.
As I came towards the end of 2019, I started to tune into some definite changes I wanted to make in my business in the new decade. And I’m sharing them with you 1) to keep you in the unbound loop and 2) in case they might activate some knowing in YOU about how you want to move forward over the next year. So here goes:
1. Letting go of one-to-one work
For most of the ten years I’ve been in business, one-to-one client work has been my main focus. Although I ran my first group online program back in 2013 (it was called Your Forever Weight Loss and I had four people sign-up at $97 each. Go me!), I’ve always offered higher level one-to-one packages and these have provided a big chunk of my annual income.
But over the past year, I’ve seen ever more deeply how powerful group work is. When a circle of women enter a container of support with a shared intention, the layers of healing, transformation and activation that happen go WAY beyond what’s generally created in a one-to-one process. Witnessing members of my mastermind groups sharing and allowing themselves to be supported, not just by me but by community is incredibly powerful.
I truly believe we’re not meant to do this (any of this) on our own. We’re interconnected beings and when we come together, another, magical energy is initiated that supports each of the group members in becoming more of who they’re here to be in the world.
So, this year I’m choosing to focus almost exclusively on the groups I hold space for: The Unbound Writing Mastermind, GLOW (my new conscious visibility mastermind for writers, healers and coaches) and UNBOUND you.
I’ll still be working one-to-one with The Unbound Press authors and existing clients, but apart from that it’s ALL about the group process.
2. Moving away from launches to rolling enrolment
All of the group programmes I’ve run in the past have started on a particular date and run for a set amount of time. What that means is having a defined launch window when I’m inviting people to join. The cart opens at the beginning of the launch and closes once the programme starts.
When I first started to run group online programmes, this was the way I was taught to do it.
‘You have to generate urgency!’
‘The shorter the launch window the better’.
The underlying belief was that if you didn’t create some kind of scarcity (either through timing or the number of places available), then people wouldn’t sign-up. And I get the thinking behind that, but it has never felt good to me.
When you’re trying to create scarcity or false urgency in others, you can’t help but create it in yourself. Your body will respond to that energy in some way. So over the past year I’ve found myself moving to longer and longer launch windows. (I think the enrolment period for the last round of the Unbound Writing Mastermind was over three months!)
And although it’s important to me that I create strong containers of support, I also felt called to infuse them with more fluidity.
So all of the group processes I offer are now open on a rolling basis.
You can join the Unbound Writing Mastermind at any time and when you do, you become a permanent member. (Well, a member for as long as the Unbound Writing Mastermind exists!) This means that you can be beautifully supported both throughout your writing process and once you release your book into the world to make sure it has the most powerful impact.
GLOW is open on a rolling monthly membership, so you can join whenever you choose and for as long as feels good. (Although you do receive a juicy discount if you pay-in-full for a year’s membership).
And both UNBOUND you and the Unbound Book Lab are more self-guided processes that you can access at any time.
This feels much freer for me and I’m excited to grow ongoing communities of unbound women who are each part of a new wave of much-needed leaders in the world.
3. Prioritising connection (and creating an alternative to Amazon)
So, one of the words that has been coming forward for me at this time is CONNECTION. And although the word doesn’t feel new, there’s a different quality to it, something I can feel deep in my body. There’s a sense of kindness that’s coming through and that feels really important.
As I’ve been tuning into ways I can create more connection in my life, one of the no-brainer ideas I had was to stop using Amazon.
Now I say this was a no-brainer and yes, of course, when we’re just taking connection into account, choosing to not order stuff online is certainly a no-brainer. But it’s SO darn convenient, isn’t it?
Well yes, Amazon is convenient, but I don’t feel connected when I order things from there and it certainly doesn’t feel kind to me. Reading about how they treat their staff and experiencing one of their delivery guys getting a package to me after 9pm on a Sunday night, looking exhausted and (understandably!) pissed off, helped me to draw a line.
So, in 2020 I’ve decided not to use Amazon and my aim is not to order anything online, unless it’s absolutely necessary or from a producer where I can feel both connection and kindness.
How does this impact on my business? Well, as an author and leader of a publishing imprint, most of my books (and those from The Unbound Press) are sold via Amazon. The truth is that this is the way most people buy books now.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t offer an alternative. So, over the next couple of months I’m going to be setting up a way that readers can buy my books and those of The Unbound Press authors directly. I realise that not everyone will choose to order in this way. It’s likely that the cost of each book will be higher, as there will be postage and packaging fees that Amazon subsume. And it may take a little longer to get your book.
But each book will be sent with a sense of human connection and kindness.
This feels good to me. And this is what each of these three changes are based on: allowing myself to run my business in a way that feels good.
As I grow my team in 2020, I know that being clear about what feels good will be key.
So how about you, unbound one? What would feel good for you this year (even if it doesn’t make logical sense or others are doing it differently)?
Comment below and let me know. (I always LOVE hearing from you).
And if you’re interested in having a chat about how I can support you to be more fully expressed and live your gift in 2020 through one my powerful group processes, let’s do it! Click here to access my diary and arrange a time.
