How marketing messes up your business

Last week one of my private clients gave me a testimonial. I asked her several questions, including why she decided to hire me last year. She told me she hired me because she lost her drive, fun and flow in her business. She’d been thinking when she first starting losing it, and could pinpoint the exact moment: She lost her flow when she started to learn about marketing. She’s not the only one. Maybe you recognize it too. So how does learning about marketing mess up your business? When you start your business it’s all about your passion, your drive, your desires, your mission: you want to help people! Make a difference! Be free! Do your own thing! At some point, you realize that’s not enough to build a solid business and get a steady stream of clients. That’s when you start to learn about marketing. And sales. And then…it gets complicated. On the one hand, it feels great to learn all this stuff. You finally understand what it takes to get clients. And what you can actively do to create a steady stream of clients and income. On the other hand, now there is SO much more to think about. (Different strategies. Different tools. New tools popping up all the time.) There are so many rules on how to write blogs, and newsletters, build your list, launch a program, and grow your business. All these rules, methods and strategies can take you out of your heart and into your mind. There’s so much to think about, that you start thinking too much. Bye bye flow. Bye bye creativity. Hello serious business mode. You definitely need marketing. There’s nothing wrong with it. And there’s nothing sleazy about it. Marketing is the bridge between your clients & their needs, and the solution you have for them. If they don’t know you exist, you can’t help them. And you can’t make a difference. But marketing doesn’t have to cost you your flow, your passion, your creativity or the fun you have in your business. As long as you’re true to your values, and you pick strategies & tools that are a perfect match to your personality & talents. When you align your marketing with who you really are, it will come from your heart. It feels natural. It feels good. It expresses who you are and what you believe in. Which also makes it easier for your ideal clients to recognize and find you. It doesn’t smother your flow anymore. And who knows, you may even start liking it too!