Caitlin Bacher:
Episode 88: Why it feels like you are stuck and how to fix it.
Do you ever feel like no matter how much you push, you just can’t move things forward?
You’re investing tons of time, money, and energy into growing your business, but for whatever reason, nothing’s working.
If you identify with that feeling, then today’s episode is going to be extremely useful for you because you may be trapped in what I call “the struggling course creator cycle”, where you are chronically busy, overwhelmed, or just plain stuck.
I’ve created a four step framework for escaping this vicious cycle, and previously I’ve only shared it with my clients, but today I’m unlocking that framework just for you right here on this episode.
This is going to be a juicy one, so buckle up. Let’s get started.
My name is Caitlin Bacher, CEO of Scale with Success®, and I’m on a mission to help course creators all over the world grow their business in a way that is profitable and scalable. I’m sharing revealing insights about what it really takes to scale an online course business to millions of dollars per year. Join me here to discover the tough decisions I’ve had to make, the biggest failures I’ve had to bounce back from, and the learnings that emerged every step of the way. I’m so grateful that I have the chance to tell you everything right here on Scale with Success®, the podcast. Let’s get started.
Scaling a business to six or even seven figures is no easy task.
I mean, if it was easy, then everyone would be doing it.
So if you feel overwhelmed from time to time, that’s totally normal.
The problem is when you’re stuck feeling stuck, and you feel trapped by what you don’t know.
When we feel stuck, it’s often because we’ve tried a bunch of solutions and nothing’s working.
But what if solutions aren’t the problem?
What if the problem is the problem?
What I mean by that is that maybe the problem you are spending so much time trying to solve, isn’t the actual problem.
Maybe that actual problem is something completely different.
Last year I was working with a client who hired me because she was struggling to meet her sales goals.
We began our session and right off the bat, she began listing a ton of things that she tried before to meet her sales goals.
She tried switching ads managers, she started a YouTube channel.
She redid her sales page top to bottom.
She changed her pricing and she started running a challenge launch every single month.
I waited for her to take a breath and then asked her the following question, “What do you think is causing you to miss your sales goals?”
And you know what?
She had no clue.
So there she was busy taking action, investing tons of time and resources into solutions that were completely irrelevant and a complete waste of time.
Have you ever found yourself in that exact same situation?
I know I have.
I mean, let’s be honest, we all have blind spots.
In our Scale with Success® Accelerator program, we cover everything, from your offer to your sales mechanism to traffic, because we want our clients to be prepared to solve any problem.
Think you have a webinar problem?
Maybe you really have an offer problem.
Have an offer problem?
Maybe you actually have a webinar problem.
Have a traffic problem?
Maybe it’s really a content problem.
The possibilities are endless, and the only way to know for sure is to dig into the data and identify the root cause.
That’s the thing that is causing you to not meet your sales goals.
Now, I’m going to share a framework with you right now for solving any problem in your business, but before I do, I want you to recognize three important reasons why following this framework is so important.
Number one: most businesses suffer because they waste time, energy, and money on solving the wrong problem, not because the business owner isn’t creative, resourceful, or good enough.
Number two: learning how to identify the right problem is a skill that takes lots of practice and guidance, which is why we spend so much time coaching our clients on how to do this.
Number three: as your business scales, problems don’t get easier, you just get better at solving them.
So as long as we’re in agreement about those three things, the following framework will work for you.
So here we go.
How to become a successful problem solver: a 4-step framework to solve any problem in your business.
Step #1: Acknowledge problems are good.
We all have hidden problems in our business that will only be solved if we first have the courage to reveal them and the understanding that having a problem doesn’t mean anything negative about you.
Having a problem doesn’t mean you’re an imposter.
It doesn’t mean you aren’t good enough.
It doesn’t mean you’re failing.
Problems are normal, and if you scale a successful business, you will always have new problems to identify and solve.
Step #2: Identify the root cause.
Now, if you are consistently setting goals and striving to reach them, you will repeatedly encounter challenges and obstacles along the way.
As CEO, it is your responsibility to identify the root cause and fix it.
This is going to require you to look past symptoms like revenue dips and plateaus and identify precisely what is causing those symptoms to occur.
You’re not getting sales, but why?
You are responsible for tracking the data each week so that you’re able to identify the root cause.
Learning to interpret the data is a skill that you will develop with regular practice inside Scale with Success® Accelerator.
Step #3: Fully consider all possible solutions.
Before jumping into action, take the time to fully consider all possible solutions, so the worst thing you can do is attach yourself to a solution before you fully consider all your options.
The first solution you think of is likely not the best solution, but it’s probably in your comfort zone and that’s why you chose it first.
So while you’re receiving coaching on a call, notice when you feel resistant to answering questions that your coach is asking.
That resistance is a good sign that you’re about to push through your comfort zone and really shift some paradigms here.
So just stay present and trust the coaching process. We’ve got you.
Step #4: Commit to a plan of action.
So once you’ve determined a solution and a plan to follow, you must commit to it.
All of the “should I or shouldn’t I” needs to happen before the commitment is made.
So once you commit to a solution, you cannot waste time second guessing it.
You must fully commit to following through with your proposed solution and carry the plan to completion.
Now, if you complete the plan and it doesn’t work, then you tweak the plan, not the goal.
The goal is what you’re striving for, and I don’t want you to settle for anything less.
You want to make sure that you’re staying out of victim mode.
So if your plan doesn’t work, it does not mean anything about you.
Do not make it mean that you’re not good enough, you’re a failure, or that you’ll never achieve your goals.
Beating yourself up will not move you forward.
Now, successful Scalers create plans that don’t work, and they make mistakes all the time.
That’s how they become successful.
By never letting a good mistake go to waste.
Build up your resilience muscle and practice the art of failing and bouncing back again and again.
Also, make sure that you’re staying out of persecutor mode.
Now, if your plan doesn’t work, it does not mean that anyone’s out to get you.
Do not make it mean that your coach wants you to fail, that your team doesn’t care, or that your audience is to blame because they just won’t buy.
Blaming others will not move you forward.
Now, successful Scalers take ownership of their results and they remain focused on the outcome they’re looking to create.
Becoming a successful problem solver can only happen if you give yourself time, space, and support to ensure that you’ve identified the root cause.
That’s the hard part.
Coming up with solutions is the fun part, but you’ve got to make sure that you’ve identified the root cause first.
Then you can focus all your creativity and resourcefulness on developing the right solution. If you want to understand more about why your revenue isn’t where you want it to be and what you need to do to fix it, then make sure to sign up for my next Free Masterclass: How to Generate Launch Sized Revenue without Launching.
Just look for the link around this episode. It is jam packed with value and you do not want to miss it.
I appreciate you being here, and tune in next week for another episode of Scale with Success®: The Podcast.
Are you sick and tired of launching and looking for a proven method to generate consistent revenue from your online course on auto-pilot?
Sign up for my free masterclass, “How To Generate Launch-Sized Revenue Without Launching” and I’ll show you how our clients are making MORE money in LESS time than they ever did while launching.
If making sales everyday in a way that is completely automated and doesn’t require paid advertising sounds good to you, then click the link around this episode and sign up for my free masterclass today.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Scale With Success® Accelerator — an online course designed to help you generate launch-sized revenue without lanching. If you want to learn MORE about our proven method for success, click here to watch my free masterclass. See you in there!
