If you’re reading this, then you most likely have big dreams. Everyone has a different definition of what a “big” dream is… for you that might mean an extra hundred dollars of income per month so you can take a great vacation with your family.
Or it might mean building the next million dollar company that will impact how people eat, breathe, and sleep for years to come.
You decide what your dreams are.
But once you know what they are, it can be pretty overwhelming to set out and make them happen.
I know because I’ve been there, and I kept bumping up against the same strange obstacles… even as I was getting closer and closer.
That’s when I started to reframe my business journey (and life!) as a spiral staircase.
The Spiral Staircase Analogy
What I love about the spiral staircase is that it allows you to set your “goal” or ideal direction (for most of us that means going up in an upward spiral) and then all you have to do is take the next step.
You don’t need to see around the corner to know you’re going in the right direction. You don’t need to have everything planned out down to a T, you can just do it one step at a time… and you know you’re on your way.
But that’s not all! With the spiral staircase, you’re going in a circle which accounts for the very natural way that we find ourselves facing similar obstacles over and over again.
For example, you might feel like you’re landing back in square one in your business… but that’s never the case, because each time you find yourself doing something “you thought you were done with”, you’re now doing it with a new perspective.
You bring in so much more expertise, a different viewpoint, and you’re more likely to make it a more rich experience.
From Off The Charts Live
This was the presentation I gave at Off The Charts Live.
How You Can Take The Spiral Staircase Approach To Your Business
I’ve come up with 9 simple steps that you can be continuously following along as you build your business, improve your expertise, and take your business off the charts. It goes a little something like this…
1. Get clear and confident on your why
Why are you starting this project or business, why now, and why are you the person who is perfectly positioned to do it?
Once you’re clear, you can move forward with grace because everything you create is coming from a place of inner knowing.
2. Get clear on who it’s for
This step is crucial to figure out early on in a business or project’s lifetime because you don’t want to create something for someone who isn’t interested in buying it.
3. Create offers and test value and pricing
When it comes to pricing your offers, think about how you can create an offer that feels so valuable to your ideal customers that they feel like they’re getting a steal… and priced so that you can provide this to them at a cost that feels like you’re making an incredibly profitable deal.
Think win-win energy.
4. Make sales and get feedback
Once you’ve made a few sales, you know you have a winner, and it’s time to get feedback on your delivery. Since this is the spiral staircase, you know you’ll be back to refine this product or service, so getting your customers’ input here is crucial.
5. Fine tune your business model
Now you have a few of the most important pieces of your business in place and you’re able to get money in the door, so it’s time to think about the big picture of your business.
Take a look at the Business Model Generation website for ideas on where to get your business model starting point.
6. Story and positioning
At this point you have a better idea of what it is you’re trying to build, you’ve got a bit of momentum and sales happening, and now it’s time to make it really clear to the marketplace at large who you are and how you stand out from the crowd.
Create a strong unique selling proposition and make it known widely! Tell people why you’re not like everyone else, and why that’s good for them!
7. Build business assets: list, intellectual property, relationships
You’re starting to make a name for yourself in the marketplace, so it’s time to build some of your long term business assets. To me, these are your email marketing list, your intellectual property, and the relationships that you have with the people in your space.
These activities never stop, they’re like breathing. You’ll always be creating new intellectual property, meeting new business friends and clients, and building your email list… but this is where in the spiral staircase that you’ll really hone in on these assets.
8. Evaluate what’s working
Take stock of what’s working, what needs to be changed, and how you can improve on what you’ve got so far. This is an essential step that many gung-ho entrepreneurs forget when they’re chasing the next silver bullet. Instead of creating something new all the time, look at what you have and see if you can improve how it’s already working so you can maximize your efforts before moving on.
You’ll use this information in your next pass through the spiral staircase, too!
9. Scale: automate, delegate, streamline
Now that you know what’s working and how it works, you can put systems in place to streamline the work that’s necessary to run your business. Once you’ve got systems, it’s much easier to hire people and delegate some of the work you’ve been doing as well.
Ahh… isn’t that much better? Now it’s time to go through the 9 steps again, once more with feeling, mes amis!
I want to hear from you now!
Have you ever felt like life was more circular than a straight path? What steps in the spiral staircase felt like a new addition?
Leave a comment below and let me know! Then share this post and the spiral staircase analogy with your friends, the more we give ourselves permission to evolve over time… the better a business world we’ll all live in!
