All posts by Tiffany Johnson

How to OWN IT and make more sales in your business.

By Amira Alvarez As women, we learn early on that it’s “bad” or “wrong” to brag. It’s “not polite” to talk about yourself, especially when you’re saying how great you are. Which in turn makes it more difficult to be confident in ourselves, our gifts, and the work we do for others. But…
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Business, Coaching

As women, we learn early on that it’s “bad” or “wrong” to brag. It’s “not polite” to talk about yourself, especially when you’re saying how great you are. Which in turn makes it more difficult to be confident in ourselves, our gifts, and the work we do for others.

But when it comes to making more sales in your business, confidence is a huge.

But what exactly is confidence?

Simply put: it’s owning it, whatever “it” is for you.

When you’re “owning it,” it means you’re totally and completely at peace with who you are in each and every moment, interaction, and experience. You make no apologies, feel no need to explain yourself to others, and are able to ask for the sales with ease—because you KNOW, without a shadow of a doubt, that you can help solve your prospect’s problems.

Whether you’re writing a government grant proposal, creating art that will hang on someone’s wall, delivering a service to another business, or coaching an individual… “the work” comes down to YOU solving someone else’s problem. That’s it.

People care about RESULTS first and foremost, and when it comes to selling, there’s no room for feeling wobbly in yourself, your offerings, your price points, or your work. When you’re having a sales conversation (via email, over the phone, through your marketing, etc), you have to radiate that confidence in your ability to provide THE BEST solution for their needs.

So… how do you cultivate more confidence?

First, OWN what makes you amazing at what you do. What sets you apart from other coaches or artists or service providers? What makes you unique and different (even if it’s “just you,” that’s everything)? Why do you KNOW you can really serve and support people? Get in the habit of owning it without apologizing or minimizing. You’re amazing, OWN IT.

Second, OWN your pricing. Asking for money can feel weird, I get it. But when you’re owning the fact that you’re AMAZING at what you do, it becomes easier to own your pricing. Remember, you’re providing a solution to someone’s problem… and that solution has a value that is likely far greater than you could ever charge for.

Third, practice OWNING IT. Practice, practice, practice. Getting confident in sales comes from having more and more sales conversations. NOT from sitting around thinking about it. Call people up. Write more emails. Do more social media marketing. Find ways to book more consultations and put “owning it” into practice until you find your footing and it starts to come more naturally.

Now, it’s important to also understand HOW to have a sales conversation that’s most aligned for you, your offerings, and your ideal clients… however, this is a much bigger topic than what I can cover fully in today’s blog.

Remember… YOU are amazing.

What you offer is amazing.

Own that.

Amira

Where is the money?

By Amira Alvarez If you're not making the money you want or you're struggling with cash flow right now, I get it. It can feel hugely hard. It's so easy to get caught up in the fact that, right now, you don't have the money you desire or need. Bills, financial obligations, kids…
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Business, Growth, Mindset, , , ,

If you’re not making the money you want or you’re struggling with cash flow right now, I get it. It can feel hugely hard.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the fact that, right now, you don’t have the money you desire or need.

Bills, financial obligations, kids going to college, what about retirement… all of that… plus, that vacation and that gorgeous pair of shoes that you want. Heck, maybe you just want to get your hair and nails done.

This can be, at times, more than just frustrating. It can be downright debilitating. Panic and fear take over. I understand.

But the truth is the money is here. Right now.

Your circumstances may not show it. You may not see it. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t here.

Expand your field of view… There are plenty of businesses making great money. There are plenty of people making great money. There is plenty of money in circulation.

In fact, there’s more money in circulation now than ever before in history. It just keeps expanding.

If you’re struggling with cash flow right now in your business, it’s not because the money isn’t here. It is. That’s not the issue.

It’s that you’re not doing the right things to bring it to you.

Although there are thousands of different permeations of how to grow your business, there are some basic rules of business that apply to everyone. These rules are not complicated.

One rule is that you have to believe that it’s possible. You have to believe that it’s possible for you to have what you want. (This is true for money and for everything in life.)

You have to believe that even if your current circumstances indicate more financial obligations than income… even if you don’t know “how” it’s going to happen… you have to believe that it is going to happen… now, easily.

You also have to believe in yourself. You have to believe in your capacity, your abilities, and your right to have what you want.

Let’s put this concept into context…

Let’s say you want to purchase something for your life or business… a car, a first class ticket, dinner out, your next hire, new office space, business coaching, apps or software, etc.

It’s something that for you represents a stretch and is a lot of money to you in your current circumstances.

Do you look at your current circumstances and say… “I can’t afford it. This is not prudent. This would be foolish. I need to wait until I have the money.”

This is how most of us were brought up to think… and I have to admit, wrapping my head around what I’m about to tell you was really hard for me at first. And many of you are may get pissed off by it because it flies in the face of your belief structure.

All my training and upbringing lead me to budgets, avoiding large amounts of debt, only spending what I had, etc.

But here’s the thing… as an entrepreneur…

When you choose to think this way, you are choosing NOT to believe in yourself.

When you think this way, what are you actually believing?

You are believing that if you spend the money you have, it will run out.

But moreover, and this is really important…

You are believing that you are not capable of creating that money or more money.

You are believing that you will let yourself down, that you don’t have the commitment or the skills, that this kind of money is not for you but for other people, that you’re not willing to do what it takes, that it will be too overwhelming or hard to earn that kind of money, that it won’t work out… and more.

Because if you believed in yourself and your abilities, you wouldn’t sweat using the money one iota.

If you chose NOT to purchase what you really desire, you are believing in your current circumstances and your current limitations.

That’s what you’ll get more of because you are making a decision that sets that outcome in motion.

Maybe there will be incremental steps forward, but this is not the way to quantum leap your income.

You need to believe in your ability to create and receive what you want, money or otherwise. This is a rule of business. (And of life.)

You could call this ground zero. Where you need to start.

Yet, belief alone is not enough. (Please read that twice.)

You also have to take action. You have to do the work, and when opportunities present themselves that you are being called to, you have to say yes to them quickly and take the next action. This is BELIEF IN ACTION.

This can be scary if the opportunity that you’re being called toward requires money that you currently don’t have or would be a big risk to your bottom line.

But this is a choice…

Do you choose to believe in your capability, your capacity, your dreams, and desires? Do you choose to believe in your commitment? Do you choose to believe that you will show up, take action, and do the work?

As an entrepreneur, you get to decide. You are in a unique position to create exactly what you want… but it takes choosing what you believe in.

What are you believing about money and yourself?

Amira

Choices In Who You Are Being

By Amira Alvarez A while back,  I found myself faced with a decision about whether to invest in my business. Actually, there were several decisions. One was a small investment that I wouldn't think twice about, but the other two were fairly large investments. When faced with these decisions, I started going to…
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Business, Coaching, Desire, Mindset, , , ,

A while back,  I found myself faced with a decision about whether to invest in my business.

Actually, there were several decisions. One was a small investment that I wouldn’t think twice about, but the other two were fairly large investments.

When faced with these decisions, I started going to that place… Do I spend the money? Is this the right decision? Am I being foolish? Can I get by without spending this?

Gadzukes!

Who was I being there?

Honestly, I was BEING someone who was afraid to spend the money, who thinks the money is going to run out, and who doesn’t believe in herself and her business.

Talk about teaching what you need to learn! (The Universe gives us these slaps in the face exactly when we need them. Oy!)

My indecision only lasted for a brief and fleeting moment. Nonetheless, I really needed to face that I wasn’t BEING who I needed to be to have the business I envision for myself.

This led me to ask myself…

Who was I going to be?

Someone driven by fear? Or a confident business woman who acted decisively?

I had to own that choice and make a powerful decision in favor of what I desire. And I did.

See… creating a successful business is largely about the choices you make.

Every day… there are a thousand choices.

Do I hire this person? Do I sign this contract? Do I spend this money? Do I go to this event?

Do I talk to this person? Do I place this ad? Do I charge this amount? Do I write this post?

These choices determine your results.

But let’s take a step back… what informs your decisions? What leads you to make the decisions that you do?

The answer is: who you are BEING.

Not everyone will make the same choices. That’s pretty obvious. Who you are, your values, beliefs, identity, experience, paradigms, world view, essence… all of this… leads you to make the decisions that you do.

Yet, the woman you ARE now has created the business you HAVE now.

If you want something different, you have to BE someone different.

If you are want more money, clients, free time, you need to step into BEING the woman who has that. This is critical to understand…Who you are BEING has to change.

You need to BE the kind of woman who makes the kinds of decisions that get the results you want.

Let me be clear… I’m not talking about changing your essential Self, the true essence of who you are.

Nope. That’s essential and it’s impossible to change that.

But, one layer up if you will, there’s a whole lot that’s open to being different. And guess what? You get to decide who you are going to be.

It’s a choice.

Change who you’re being and you’ll make different decisions… and this will lead to different results.

Ask yourself… what kind of results do you want? Then ask yourself, who do you need to be NOW to get those results?

 

Amira

PS: When there’s a disconnect between what you want and your results, the problem often lies in not being able to see how to step into being the person who gets different results. If you want different results, I can show you to step into being the woman who gets them. That’s part of my job as your guide and mentor. Yet, the first step is to choose to BE someone who gets help. DIYing your business is being someone who chooses the hard and slow path. Is this what you want? I think not. ;-)

Be the person who actualizes what she wants. Now’s the time. You can contact me here and I tell you how you can get started right now. Zero pressure. Zero obligation.

Create a winning attitude

By Amira Alvarez Here's a practice that creates a winning attitude... which leads to big results. It's very simple and easy, but most people ignore it because they think it's too simple and not going to help them. Don't be one of these people. Here's how it works and it's really quite easy...…
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Bootcamp, Business, Coaching, Growth, Inspiration, , , , ,

Here’s a practice that creates a winning attitude… which leads to big results.

It’s very simple and easy, but most people ignore it because they think it’s too simple and not going to help them. Don’t be one of these people.

Here’s how it works and it’s really quite easy…

You recognize your successes.

So often we skip over our wins, what’s really working, both small and large, and take them for granted. We just move onto the next thing.

This keeps you on the “hamster wheel of never enough”–always going for the next thing without appreciating what you’ve actually achieved and accomplished.

This causes you to get lost in the “grind” of your work. The irony is that this is most likely exactly what you’re trying to avoid.

For most of us, the desire to tick everything off our list, is an attempt to feel good. You think pushing on and pushing hard is going to help you finally feel on top of the world. And sure enough, getting things done does feel pretty awesome.

However, if you rarely look back and appreciate what you have accomplished, you will never experience the flow and ease in your work, during your work, that you want.

Happily, that sense that you can never get ahead, that you’re not doing enough, that you’re behind, and that you must do more or else is actually a mindset that you can turn around quite easily.

You can start with looking back and celebrating your wins. What were your big wins? What were your small wins? Start to appreciate all of them.

Amira

PS – In the Business Acceleration Bootcamp we have a simple, but powerful daily practice of celebrating our wins. Join us!

Learn this and you’ll Quantum Leap your income

By Amira Alvarez If you're ready to make more money right now, here's one of the keys... You've got to make decisions. Quickly. I didn't always do this. I used to ponder. Ruminate. Feel into it. The feeling into it was NOT accessing my direct knowing.  It was really just feeling the confusion…
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Bootcamp, Business, Coaching, Quantum Leap, , , , ,

If you’re ready to make more money right now, here’s one of the keys…

You’ve got to make decisions. Quickly.

I didn’t always do this. I used to ponder. Ruminate. Feel into it.

The feeling into it was NOT accessing my direct knowing.  It was really just feeling the confusion more profoundly, spinning out, and wallowing in the hard.

There were days and weeks spent like this which meant that there was a lot of time wasted and a lot of time spent making my business hard.

Listen, every day there are decisions that you need to make in your business so you’ve got to get good at this.

Some examples…

  • Do I call this person or do I not?
  • Do I raise my prices or do I not?
  • Do I invest in this technology, education, coaching or do I not?
  • Do I hire or do I not?
  • Do I freak out about xyz or do I not?

The list goes on and on. That’s running your own business for you.

You either make these decisions quickly or you don’t. Quickly doesn’t mean without thought or without plugging into your core direct knowing.

It simply means quickly.

You’ve got to get good at this and I urge you to start now.

Why?

Because your ability to make decisions quickly is one of the biggest factors to quantum leaping your income.

Fence-sitting wastes your precious energy and time.

If you are you stuck in a cycle of research and rumination, that’s going to delay your breakthrough. Pay attention to that.

Paralysis by analysis is real. And it happens all the time, often in the most innocuous ways.

What I see happening for a lot of women in business is stalling out in the decision-making process. There’s “decision fatigue” and “decision paralysis.”

Sometimes this is because you haven’t done this (whatever you’re doing in your business right now that requires a decision) before and you need guidance, expertise, and help.

That’s legit. The quickest path to resolving this is to find a mentor. Find someone who’s walked that path before and can help you make a quick decision. This is what I do for my Bootcampers every single day and it’s why they make such fast progress.

Other times it’s because of subconscious beliefs that say it’s not safe to make money, it’s not safe to really shine and go for it so let’s confuse the matter and make this decision hard.

This is a clever smoke screen that your subconscious throws up to keep you from not growing and risking anything. You’ve got to take back conscious control… and you do that by making choices.

In both of these cases, you will be held back and slowed down if you don’t learn to make decisions quickly. This is a boundary issue.

If you want to make it easier and faster to make money, you’ve got to learn how to make it safe to decide and start making decisions quickly.

Amira

PS – If you’re ready to become proficient at making quick decisions and want to quantum leap your income, check out the Business Acceleration Bootcamp. This is a program you can start right now. Book your consult and you’ll be on your way.

What do I focus on in my business?

By Amira Alvarez I often get asked, "What do I need to focus on in my business?" The answer is the same whether you're focused entirely on growing your business or doing it in addition to holding down a job. Here's why... You always need to be working on the next step that's…
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Business, Coaching, Goals, ,

I often get asked, “What do I need to focus on in my business?”

The answer is the same whether you’re focused entirely on growing your business or doing it in addition to holding down a job.

Here’s why…

You always need to be working on the next step that’s in front of you. This seems obvious but go with me here…

Where most people go astray is they start seeing the multitude of tasks that are required and they think EVERYTHING HAS TO BE DONE NOW.

This will instantly put you into spin out, cause you mental and emotional friction, and slow you down. Why?

Because it’s impossible and you know it.

You can’t possibly make good on the unconscious commitment you just made to yourself when you looked at all the stuff that needs to get done and said: “I’m going to do this now, this week, or even this month.”

The possibility of being out of integrity with yourself then causes panic… and it is this panic or overwhelm that stops you or slows you down.

I see this happening all the time, at all stages of business.

In fact, this just happened with a client in a VIP day. We had laid out a plan, what the basic building blocks were to get her to a $5 million dollar business, which by the way, did not require a lot of bells and whistles… the best plans never do…

And then I saw her face shift from excitement to something else along the lines of trepidation.

What was going on?

She started unconsciously thinking everything had to be done now, this week, immediately upon getting home.

A quick reframe helped… Focus on the next step. That’s all you have to do. You do the next thing that’s in front of you and that’s it. When you’re done with that, the next step. You know what to do now and you just do it. No noise.

This can happen very quickly if you get out of your own way.

One step after another. Don’t overthink things. This is key to making the quantum leap.

Here’s a simple way forward to get you started…

1) Pick when you’re going to be working on your business. These are your working hours. Don’t stray.

2) Then choose what you’re focusing on now, during these work hours.

If you’re honest, you probably already know what you need to do.

If you’re confused about priorities, don’t over think it. Pick something and get started.

Caveat: There are particular needle-moving actions that many entrepreneurs and women in business avoid. This is where a mentor and coach is an essential asset.

3) Which leads us to… going and doing that one focused thing during the working hours you defined. And then the next thing and then the next thing.

If you work like this, you’ll be surprised how quickly you can make progress in your business no matter how many hours you actually have to dedicate to it and how it reduces the self-imposed stress.

This is not rocket science, but I can’t tell you how hard this can be for people.

It’s hard for a lot of reasons (programming, mindset, boundary issues, not understanding how to work with time, etc) BUT it’s NOT because anything is wrong with you. You’re not broken, so don’t get down on yourself if this is hard for you.

That said, don’t let yourself off the hook either. Keep showing up. One foot in front of the other.

Amira