On this episode of The Off The Charts podcast, I asked Michelle Ward – The When I Grow Up Coach, what she had to let go of and do differently to take her business off the charts.
The big one she had to let go of? That thing called control. After she planned everything like the typical type A person one year in 2012, she found herself with boob cancer. Now she only plans for the current quarter and the following one.
This has allowed her the freedom to do things and accept opportunities that she couldn’t have anticipated.
She recently got another breast cancer diagnosis, so all of her plans for the beginning of the new year have changed again as a result. But Michelle is taking it in stride, in her incredible go-getter way.
Beyond letting go of control, Michelle started paying attention to what was working and wasn’t working. Some of the bigger and more mass appeal products that she wanted to release weren’t landing with the number of people she wanted to reach.
Instead, she focused on creating more intimate experiences and that really opened up the doors for her.
She’s had a sold out program that’s a six month intensive program that results in a customized finished website, logo, bio, social media accounts, and everything you need at the end of program.
Instead of doing something that scales, consider going in the opposite direction and doing something that doesn’t scale.
About Michelle Ward
Michelle Ward has been offering career guidance for creative women as The When I Grow Up Coach since 2008. You may have seen or heard me in New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, Etsy, Newsweek, Freelancers Union, the Forbes Top 100 Websites for your Career List or 100+ other media outlets.
A boob cancer survivor, a Judge Judy contest winner, a pink ukulele player and an NYU alum with my BFA in theater, she lives in Brooklyn with her husband and baby girl.
She’s the co-author of The Declaration of You, which was published by North Light Books, and the teacher of Create Your Dream Career and Ditch Your Day Job, which were watched by tens of thousands of people live on CreativeLive.
In 2012, Michelle received her Professional Certified Coach accreditation from the International Coach Federation.
