Building a Sustainable Online Business: 4 Mindset Blocks to Be Aware Of

Building a Sustainable Online Business:
4 Mindset Blocks to Be Aware Of

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

On Episode 9 of The Brandmerry Podcast, I’m sharing a recent interview I did with Brandmerry Mindset Coach Tani Morgan.

In this lively conversation, we’re sharing the Mindset Blocks Keeping Entrepreneurs From Building Sustainable Businesses.

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In today’s episode, you’ll discover:

++ The 4 mental blocks entrepreneurs come up against at every stage of their journey to 6-figures and beyond.

++ How best to move through these blocks, Tani and I’s favorite strategy for recognizing what’s happening and how to move forward.

++ Why mindset and strategy are equally important as an entrepreneur who’s to build a sustainable business.

++ Two areas (both mindset and strategy) that we find most entrepreneurs struggle with feeling worthy and how it’s affecting their business.

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TANI MORGAN is a Mindset Empowerment Mentor who supports business owners in overcoming stuck patterns, embodying greatness and amplifying their purpose & power to create a profitable soul-aligned business.

Tani uses a unique blend of techniques to free entrepreneurs from limiting beliefs, inner criticism, and societal pressure. Her clients uncover their inner wisdom & true authentic voice so they can easily share their inherent gifts to make money doing what they love and create a positive impact in the world.

Tani’s story began when she had achieved all the things she thought she wanted and realized that still, she was not happy and fulfilled. She felt a call for something more and began to connect with, listen to and follow her intuition. With this inner guidance, she has created a thriving heart-led business and soul-fulfilling life. Tani continues to empower entrepreneurs to live as their highest self while also working to raise her own consciousness in hopes of attaining enlightenment.

Connect with Tani on Instagram at @tanimorgan

Connect with Michelle on Instagram @michelleknightco

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

3 Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Double My Monthly Revenue to $20k

3 Mindset Shifts That Helped Me Double My Monthly Revenue to $20k

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

I know why you’re here.

You’re ready for the next level. Maybe for you, that means doubling your yearly revenue, monthly revenue, hitting your first $5k cash or $10k cash month, or just signing your first client.

No matter what brought you here today, I’m thankful you are here.

Over the past three months, I’ve doubled my monthly cash revenue from consistent $10,000 cash months to $20,000 cash months. And while strategy played a major role, what’s interesting is that many of my strategies from $10k to $20k months didn’t change, but my belief in them coming to fruition did.

And now that I’ve seen, thanks to numbers, that this is consistent for my business and growing, I want to share them with you in today’s blog.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MINDSET IN BUSINESS

I am a strategist. I am somebody who loves numbers, analytics and data. I LOVE goals.

So mindset, even from the very beginning of my business has been something that I've had to actively work on.

For some people, the belief of the mindset behind their work comes very naturally to them, and they have to apply more energy and attention towards the strategy. 

Some people like myself, the strategy comes very, very natural, and they have to put a lot of attention to the mindset. 

Since the beginning of my business, I have focused my energy on my mindset, and my resiliency, because at the end of the day, you're the CEO, you're the boss, you make so many of the decisions, if you are an entrepreneur and a solopreneur, that your mindset has to be in peak performance. 

Now, that doesn’t mean I don’t have times where I’m like, “I need a freaking break!” Or have times where I’m like, “Oh my gosh, this isn’t working.”

But, as entrepreneurs we have to treat our bodies, our minds and our souls like an athlete would. We have to make our mindset and our health a top priority, because in the beginning if we aren’t there to show up and put in the work the business will not grow.

So no matter what area you feel is your strength, be it mindset or strategy, you have to work on finding a harmony between the two and giving whichever needs the most attention at the moment the attention it needs to move your business forward.

LAYING A STRONG BUSINESS FOUNDATION

When it comes to elevating your business there’s a beautiful blend of strategy paying off and mindset being at its peak. 

It’s important that before I share these shifts with you, the same shifts that supported me in doubling my monthly revenue, you understand I’ve been putting in the strategy for about seven months prior.

I put in the work to set up a funnel that brings in new leads and sales daily. 

I made the decision to cut back on my 1:1 coaching and rather offer limited-time ways to work 1:1 with me.

I also show up every single week, multiple times a week, including live videos for my audience.

These practices allowed me to sit at $10k cash months for over two years and the foundations were working, but when I was ready to step into the next level that’s where the mindset kicked in.

You can’t skip the strategy.
You have to have it.

That’s why having a strong business foundation is so important. You need a solid brand to move forward with fancy marketing and all the perks that come with that.

If you’re looking to build a solid brand foundation you can learn more in my upcoming masterclass at brandmerry.com/brandmasterclass.

Ok, now that I have all my disclaimers out of the way and you understand that mindset shifts aren’t the only thing that is going to carry you we can jump into it!!

MINDSET TIP #1
CHOOSE YOUR CELEBRATION (VISUALIZE)

In 2017, I discovered this technique for the first time. My coach at the time introduced me to the concept of visualization as a way of goal setting.

I’d always had a vision board, seriously since I was a kid, but this was about truly stepping into the moment when you achieve your goal.

In 2017, I decided that when I hit my goal of signing 10 new 1:1 clients I would fly to NYC to see my favorite Broadway show. I’d visualize every single day what it would feel like to walk the streets of NYC, after watching the show, wearing my black maxi and singing the songs. I saw it so vividly.

And do you know what happened? That exact scenario played out. After hitting my goal, I invested in a mastermind and our first retreat was in NYC.

Since then I’ve used this technique multiple times but recently took it up a notch by investing early.

In May of 2020, I knew I was ready to double my monthly revenue. While shopping I picked up a bottle of champagne, more expensive than I would typically buy and I put it in the fridge with a post-it that said, “$20k Cash Month!”

Every day I focused on the celebration of my goal, I couldn’t avoid it because it was where my food was! I took just a second to feel into the celebration I would have to open the bottle and share it with my family.

At the end of May, I opened that bottle.

I had the strategy in place, I knew what I was going to do, but now I fully trusted that it was going to happen and I knew just how I’d celebrate my goal coming to fruition.

There’s something powerful about focusing on the celebration as you’re working towards your goal. It puts the excitement and joy into your daily actions and raises your vibration.

It doesn’t have to be a trip to another country to be a celebration, it can be as simple as a bottle of wine or dinner at your favorite restaurant ordering whatever you want, but one of the most fun things you can do is choose how you’ll celebrate before you even start taking action.

ACTION STEP: Decide how you’ll celebrate your next goal. If you can invest in it now do that, but at the very least tell everyone about it, print a visual out and put it on your desk and every day imagine the celebration.

MINDSET TIP #2
WORK ON YOUR MONEY STORY

The second thing that I did, and I've been doing this since January, is I have been working so hard on my money story. 

If you're not familiar with a money story, it is a combination of the beliefs that you carry around money. What you believe having money means, what you believe not having money means, what you believe debt means, what you believe working hard for something means.

It’s rooted in how you viewed money or were told about money as a child and young adult.

The beautiful thing about having a money story is that you can always uncover, own, release and write a new one, which is something I’m constantly working on.

I've been doing work on my money story since 2016 when I started my business, but this year I knew to reach a new bracket I needed to dig deeper.

As someone who is a minimalist and travels full-time in a 36-foot travel trailer, I don’t NEED a lot. I’ve often associated having money with having stuff, a belief I’ve carried since I was young, so the idea of having more stuff is not a driver for me to have more money.

But the truth is, I absolutely am worthy of having a lot of money and having more money will allow me to not only grow my business but provide more to my team and community.

Going through this story work allowed me to better understand what having more money would mean. For my personal circumstance it included:

• Increasing my salary

• Increasing the pay to my team and bringing on full-time team members. This is a ripple effect because it impacts their ability to create wealth as well.

• Adding more team members which allow us to help more women in my community. 

• Adding more coaches under Brandmerry to support my clients at a higher level.

• Invest more money on ads so I can attract more people to my brand and therefore help more women. 

• Adding new programs and offering more support.

• Donating more money to the causes that are important to me.

There's a ton of things that I realized, going to this next bracket could allow me to do. Without doing the work on my money story I wouldn’t have realized this and therefore wouldn’t have the same energy and drive to make more money.

You’re probably holding on to a lot of beliefs that are keeping you from making the money you desire. Doing the work on your money story is important and as an entrepreneur, I believe a non-negotiable.

So really think about what you're telling yourself around money, what you're telling yourself about what you're worthy of having and think of what you're going to do with that money when you have it, give it a purpose. 

ACTION STEP: Begin to work on your Money Story. If you’ve never done this work before, I recommend The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein.

MINDSET TIP #3
DON’T TIE YOUR PRODUCTS TO YOUR WORTH

Giving a purpose to your money is important. Understanding what you’ll do with your money is a great way to do just that.

However, it’s important that your money and more specifically your products aren’t tied to your worthiness.

You are worthy just as you are, at this very moment.

Hitting the next income bracket doesn’t improve your worth.
Selling your products doesn’t improve your worth.

In order to receive you need to understand that you are worthy of doing just that, every damn day.

However, when you’re an entrepreneur and specifically a solopreneur it is very easy to think, “This isn’t working, this isn’t selling, it must be me!”

When in reality it’s probably just your messaging, but that’s another conversation to have.

Rather than tying your worthiness to your ability to make money, I encourage you to tie your products, services and money to your purpose.

I made this shift deeply in 2020, this year has been the year that my mission became, even more, my driving force and as a result, the products, videos, posts, coaching, etc that I’ve put out into the world are in alignment with that mission.

It has attracted the best people.
It has brought in the money and will continue to do so.
It has felt dang good.

And tying the products to my mission over my worthiness allowed me to continue to work at a higher vibration and never once question my ability to make the money I desire.

If you’re at a place where you want to create an evergreen funnel and get paid while you shower or sleep, or you’re wanting to raise your prices it can be scary because we’re making it about us, make it about your purpose and watch the excitement explode.

ACTION STEP: Catch yourself; become aware of how you’re valuing yourself. How important is your time? How important is your energy? Are your products and services tied to your purpose, or still closely connected to your personal success?

CONCLUSION

At the end of the day, after all the work is complete and the strategies are implemented you have to so deeply trust yourself and that you can do this.

It’s like what we said about the celebration at the beginning if you’re focusing on reaching your goal, then in your mind, you’re already there. You’re fully committed and invested in that happening.

Because as a business owner you have to put yourself out there, but once you've put the stuff out there, once you’re showing up, once the plan is in motion, so much of the success comes down to your belief and your energy.

This work needs to be done and there are so many ways to get started including purchasing Gabby Bernstein’s book, The Universe Has Your Back.

In fact, I have an entire list of books that I recommend when it comes to mindset and belief.

These shifts, especially with your money story, can be as simple as getting a book and when you’re ready there are so many programs out there to support you, including Roadmap to Freedom which includes an R2F Mindset Coach with monthly calls and trainings on money mindset and worthiness.

If you’re looking for more support around your strategy, so you can feel confident moving forward with your goals you can learn more about working privately with me through my Brand Intensives. Learn more and apply for a limited spot at brandmerry.com/intensive.

P.S. Here are some additional blogs related to mindset that can support you on your journey.

3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs. READ IT HERE

Mindset Techniques for Female Entrepreneurs (Create a Mindset Routine). READ IT HERE

WATCH OR LISTEN TO THE CONTENT IN THIS POST BELOW.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

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START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs

3 Mindset Shifts for Entrepreneurs

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

I’ve been an online entrepreneur for over four years and my biggest challenge has not been the strategies, marketing or selling, but letting go of old beliefs.

That first year of business was hard because at the end of the day it was all up to me. There was no team to turn too and decisions were made by yours truly.

This is the case for so many solopreneurs and entrepreneurs running a small team. You’re it boo and your mindset and beliefs will make or break your business.

Now, I’m not a mindset mentor, but I have done my own in-depth work and worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs over the years who carry three core beliefs that are keeping them stuck.

Today, on the blog I want to share those 3 beliefs and mindset shifts to make if you’re experiencing the same thing as a new entrepreneur.

If you prefer to watch the live video recording, you can scroll down and do that now!

Ok, let’s get into it.

BELIEF #1
“Everyone is already doing it and the market is saturated!”

This could be a belief you hold on to if you're constantly questioning why...

...Why would anyone listen to me?
...So and so has 10k followers and I have no one!
...I’m not an expert like Suzie!

But the reality is the digital learning industry is projected to be $325 Billion in 2025 and my guess is that’s even higher now with everything happening in the world.

THERE IS PLENTY OF SPACE FOR YOU!

By holding back on your voice, expertise and gifts...you’re doing your ideal community (and future community) a disservice.

That’s why running a business has to be about more than you!

If you’re experiencing this belief and it’s keeping you stuck we need to make the focus more mission-driven.

SHIFTING THIS BELIEF

Your business and brand needs to be mission-driven. 

I spent years working in the nonprofit sector and understand the power of having a clear mission statement. Without a mission, a nonprofit won’t be approved by the government and will struggle to receive funding.

We need to treat your businesses the same way, but many entrepreneurs instead start with themselves and their goals.

If you don’t identify your mission, in the beginning, you’ll always be trapped in comparisonitis and feel as if there is no space for you inside your industry.

When you take the time to choose your mission, then you’ll also know WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, who you’re showing up for and how your business will impact others.

ACTION STEP: What is the mission of your business?

BELIEF #2
SOS - Shiny Object Syndrome and An Inability To Focus

So many people are jumping around and doing things that aren’t contributing to your growth as an entrepreneur.

Maybe you see someone doing it and think if it worked for them, then it will work for me, I should do that now.

Maybe you’re playing small and trying to learn all the things. You’re focused on Instagram and a new Youtube video comes out with a new strategy, even though you haven’t implemented the last one, and you spend your time consuming.

Maybe you are working on so many things at once that there’s no clear growth overall because you’re only able to dedicate 10% to each thing, rather than a full 100%.

So what should you be focused on in your business?

This is the 5-Part Roadmap for a Thriving Online Business that I teach inside my program Roadmap to Freedom.

1. Brand Foundation

2. Build Community

3. Market Your Mission and Message

4. Sell With Confidence

5. Scale Your Systems

It has to happen in THIS order! What it looks like inside each phase will be different for each of you, but the roadmap is the same.

When you follow this structure and build one on top of the other your focus will be streamlined and running a business will be effective and results-driven.

If you want to learn more about Roadmap to Freedom you can learn more here.

BELIEF #3
I don’t have enough time

The reality is we all have the same hours in a day.

What’s really happening is that you lack clarity on what’s most important to move your business forward.

Now you know and it’s about making your business a top priority, and shifting this limiting belief.

The process of looking at time differently can only be done by you. No strategy or planner can help if you don’t understand how to believe in and manage your time.

To support you in making time work for you, I’m sharing my top 4 tips below.

4 TIPS TO BETTER MANAGE YOUR TIME IN BUSINESS

TIP 1: DO A TIME AUDIT

You have to know where your time is going in order to make changes, but the majority of people have no idea where they are spending their time most. For the next 72 hours conduct a simple time audit of everything. Write down everything you do and how much time you spend on it.

This includes social media! When you identify where your time is going, you can then limit the areas where you’re not contributing to your overall growth (I’m looking at you Facebook!)

Take back the power and spend your time where it’s most valuable.

TIP 2: COMMIT TO YOUR BUSINESS...FULLY

If you’ve found in the past that you just don’t have time to build your business, then it’s time to reevaluate your priorities. Where does your business fall on the priority list and are you making time for it?

I suggest new business owners dedicate 3 hours a week to their business to start.
Is this three hours on an early Sunday morning?
Is this staying in on a Friday night to build your dreams?
Is this waking up one-hour earlier three days a week?

Make the decision and take action.

If you need a little priority pep talk watch this video.

TIP 3: CATCH YOURSELF WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF SAYING, “I DON’T HAVE TIME!”

I use to say this all the time. In fact, I said it so often that I actually believed it and guess what, I constantly ran out of time.

Switching your mindset is about you, we’ve already covered it, so it’s up to you to catch yourself.

The first step is always awareness, which you have now. So the next step is to switch your belief around time whenever you talk negatively about it.

The tiny switch I made that made the biggest difference was no longer saying, “I don’t have the time” and instead saying, “I’m choosing not to spend my time on that.”

It’s all about priorities, decide on yours!

TIP 4: PRIORITIZE TASKS INSIDE YOUR BUSINESS TO OPTIMIZE YOUR TIME

You now know the top 5 areas of focus for your business and you can make those a priority for yourself moving forward.

Each project you’re working on can be broken into smaller tactics and should be! If you’re not already working on Asana or Trello, or some task management system now is the time to start. It’s the easiest way to break down all of your projects into smaller tasks.

These smaller tasks will help with your overall productivity.

I love talking about Time Management in case you couldn’t tell and released an entire podcast episode on my Time Management Hacks over on The Beautiful Climb podcast, check it out here.

CONCLUSION

Running a business requires you to be at the top of your game and that means your mindset needs to be a top priority.

If you read this post and discovered you’re carrying some of these beliefs then start here. Start with these three and keep digging.

And as always get the support you deserve. Having someone who has done what you’re setting out to do and can offer insight, coaching, strategies and support will make your journey a little easier (hell a lot easier). 

If you’re interested in this level of support, then check out Roadmap to Freedom at brandmerry.com/freedom.

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- FREE GIFTS YOU'LL LOVE -

DISCOVER YOUR BRAND STORY IN UNDER 5 MINUTES

START HERE ↠

LEARN HOW TO WRITE AN ‘ABOUT ME’ PAGE THAT CONVERTS

START HERE ↠

MAP OUT 30 DAYS OF CONTENT IN UNDER AN HOUR

START HERE ↠

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

Mindset Techniques for Female Entrepreneurs (Create a Mindset Routine)

Mindset Techniques for Female Entrepreneurs (Create a Mindset Routine)

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

When thinking about my own mindset journey it’s always been very ebb and flow. The times when I lacked any sort of mindset consistency or deep inner work it definitely showed in both my role as a mother, my marriage and as a businesswoman.

For me, the 3 main areas affect my mindset most are: 

1. Morning Routine

2. Money Beliefs

3. Consistent Messaging
   

Today on the blog, I want to break down each of these pieces to support you in creating a mindset routine that works for you and your life.

Too often I see entrepreneurs feeling shame, been there done that, around the “traditional” techniques not working for them. I encourage you to take the lessons I’ve learned and use them to inspire you!

Ok, let’s get into it.

1. CREATING YOUR MORNING ROUTINE AS A FEMALE ENTREPRENEUR

Let’s just clear the air around something super important. Yes, we call it a Morning Routine, but that doesn’t mean you need to do it in the morning. That doesn’t mean that if your morning doesn’t go as planned, it won’t work.

The keyword here is routine and I hope you’ll remember that.

Ok, now that we’ve covered that let’s talk about shame (oh so fun Michelle)!

When I started my business and left my 9 to 5, I reached out to entrepreneurs inside of a Facebook Group asking them what I needed to do daily and the response was a morning routine. And they got specific with it, stating that an hour was ideal (i.e. 30-minute meditation, 15-minute writing and 15-minute movement).

So, I did it, because trust me when I tell you enough people were telling me the same thing that I thought they had to be on to something.

We’ll surprise, I found myself struggling for two reasons:

1. This timeframe didn’t work for me and 

2. I needed something else and for me, that was physical intensity (more time dedicated to working out).

This all came from my own awareness.

Awareness is one of the best mindset skills you can create. Awareness is at the cornerstone of everything, it brings things to the surface you might not recognize day to day. This includes limiting beliefs and blocks, emotions that need to be tended to, as well as the awareness that rest is needed. 

And this awareness is so important when we think about the seasons of life.

Just like the seasons in nature, we have the same seasons in life and often each season is asking something different from us. It’s our job to recognize that and make decisions on what’s needed most to create a life on our terms.

For me, this awareness and particular seasons were telling me that I needed to start the day with more energy and shorten the time I was dedicating to my morning routine.

GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION and release the shame and expectations that one way is the only way.

At this particular time and even today, I realized I needed something more intense. 

With this awareness and knowledge, I created a new intention (that’s what I call goals) that apply to my morning routine.

“I’ve created a morning routine that serves me with movement, meditation, mindful writing and nourishment.”

This is important because it’s made for me and allows me the flexibility to do what feels best.

What would your ideal routine look like?
What 3-4 areas would you want to focus on?

When you’re creating your mindset routine, remember that mindset is the best form of self-care.

THE MORNING ROUTINE OF A 6-FIGURE ENTREPRENEUR

I know you love examples, I’m the same way, so here is a glimpse into my own mindset routine and the time I dedicate to each.

Remember, everything is based on my intention, “I’ve created a morning routine that serves me with movement, meditation, mindful writing and nourishment.”

MOVEMENT: I get my blood pumping and body moving first thing in the morning and aim for 30 minutes to 1 hour at least 5 days a week.

MEDITATION: I don’t do a full meditation daily. I aim for 3x a week (other seasons it’s been more like 5 or even 7). My meditations are typically no more than 10-15 minutes in length and I prefer meditations that are led by someone else. Check out YouTube or Spotify to find one that you enjoy. 

MINDFUL WRITING: This is my release. I do this 3x a week, except in high seasons of creation like when I’m launching, writing or speaking. I’ve found that asking myself a prompt or question helps with the flow.

I always start with two questions and let my writing go from there.

1. What do I need to hear today?

2. What do I need to work through today?

NOURISHMENT: Again fueling my body is part of my mindset. I’m a firm believer that you can have a great mind, but an unhealthy body or even a healthy body, but an unhealthy mind. I strive for both, so daily I’m making my morning breakfast a big part of my mindset routine.

As you can see, the intention I st is my only rule, how I perform each piece is open to what’s needed most at that time of my life.

2. MONEY BELIEFS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR

Money beliefs are so important to address as an entrepreneur because we are the ones bringing in the money. 

Your view of money is often deeply rooted in what you’re taught or saw growing up. For many of us it lives in the subconscious and it’s our role to bring it to the surface. We can only do this through heightened awareness and bringing it into our mindset routine.

If you find money isn’t coming easily to you, or you’ve reached a cap you need to uncover what’s blocking the flow of money - we all have this block at some point by the way.

This is where daily meditation and writing can help remove this block because you’re digging deeper than you might do in the normal day to day of living your life.

I have very specific seasons where I do deep money work and I’m in one now.

A few things to keep in mind:

1. No one can do the work for you. If you find you’re struggling to make progress there is so much support available online. We have a mindset coach inside of Roadmap to Freedom, my group program for new and aspiring female entrepreneurs.

2. Focus on not only identifying the beliefs but also releasing them (forgive). This doesn’t happen just once it must be repeated over and over again especially as you reach a new level in your business.

3. Create a habit of catching yourself daily with the messaging you’re putting out into the world and what you’re receiving.

3. CONSISTENT MESSAGING THAT AFFECTS YOUR MINDSET

While I love talking about messaging as it pertains to your brand, it’s also so important to talk about the messaging you put out into the world and the messaging coming back at you daily.

If you’re constantly surrounded by people, media or information that brings you down or talks negatively about money or your potential, you will start to mirror that belief. 

Make more deliberate decisions about what and who you surround yourself with.

Listen to a podcast, I highly recommend my new podcast The Beautiful Climb, watch videos that inspire you or read uplifting articles. 

Your vibration matters and needs to be high the majority of the time to attract the things you want in life.

It’s also important to catch yourself and what you’re saying daily. 

For example: If you tell yourself and others you don’t have time, that will begin to be true for you. You absolutely have the time, it’s how you choose to view it and use it. 

We have the decision in how we respond to things that come our way. We might have things that happen to us or for us (depending on your views) and it’s up to you on how you respond.  

This is a muscle you have to flex. It’s not always easy, but making a habit is so important!

TIPS TO MAKE YOUR MINDSET A DAILY HABIT

• Create affirmations + post them in prominent places (I like the bathroom)

• Set daily alarms multiple times a day with reminders to breathe, think positively about money or just to evaluate your thoughts at that moment and change them.

• Catch yourself when you’re using a specific language like “I don’t have time!” 

• Write your intentions (goals) daily so they are at the front of your mind.

• Create a mindfulness playlist to ground you when you’re feeling low energy or overwhelmed.

• Schedule it! This is so important, it doesn’t happen by chance, these changes don’t fall into your lap you have to practice them and make them a priority.
  

CONCLUSION

I’ve felt like my routine or mindset wasn’t resilient enough in years past, because I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. This was a belief that only contributed to more doubt and resistance towards attracting what I wanted in life. 

Through the years I’ve made my mindset a top priority to overcome perfectionism, remove internal and outside expectations and create a life on my terms.

I chat about my journey and give you the tools to do the same on my new podcast The Beautiful Climb. Learn more at TheBeautifulClimb.com and subscribe on iTunes, Spotify or Stitcher.

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.

5 Things to Know About Your First Year as an Entrepreneur

5 Things to Know About Your First Year
as an Entrepreneur

BY MICHELLE KNIGHT

Look, I’m going to go against the grain here and say starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur takes work.

Insert Rihana singing “work work work work work”

The reality is this is not for the faint of heart, which is ironic because what you need to make this thing work is a whole lot of heart.

In addition to having the belief, mindset and deep desire to make this thing work there are 5 things you need to know in your first year as an entrepreneur.

The first year of my business it took months, I’m talking 8 months for me to truly figure out what I was doing.

I took action, continuous action and was busy working on building this dream, but I had little to show for it.

So, I consider myself a freaking expert in helping women who struggle to get going because I’ve lived through it.

After 8 months of pushing uphill things started to shift for me and within three months I was making enough monthly income to replace my 9 to 5 and in a year I had made 6-figures cash in my business.

Do I think I could have hit those goals faster if I’d had known these things? YES

But, then I wouldn’t be able to share this with you today #lessons.

So here we go - 5 Things to Know About Your First Year as an Entrepreneur (what I wish I’d known).

1. YOUR WEBSITE

How do I say this in a way that doesn’t come across as a total butthead - no one is searching for your website.

Oh, I know you want it to be the case, but in the beginning, people don’t know you, yet so many entrepreneurs spend so much time on building their website right out of the gate when they should be focused on building brand awareness.

Your website is needed and will be one of the most valuable tools in your business, but spending months and months and sometimes thousands of dollars to build your website is a waste at the beginning.

Take the time to identify your niche, who you want to attract and your brand messages BEFORE building your website and be sure to have a marketing plan to actually drum up enough interest that has people visiting your website.

2. YOUR BRAND

Another one that takes so much time and so much money - yep, it’s branding.

I love branding, it is my jam, but so many entrepreneurs do it wrong the first year. They jump right into finding their colors, fonts and designing their logo BEFORE understanding their brand foundations. Yep, you guessed it - your niche, your audience and your brand messages.

PLUS, they overlook the power of emotional branding (more on that here) which at its core is WHY people buy. So rather than diving right into the visual branding what we should be focused on is what branding truly is - the deeper connection to your audience.

One of the best things you can do is create content for your audience to build brand awareness (yes, this is part of branding) and watch as your visuals fall into place.

3. POWER OF STORY

You’ve got one thing when you start and that’s your story! It’s also the one thing you have that will help you stand out from the crowd and competition.

You need to spend time uncovering your story and setting a strong foundation for story in your business.

Your audience is 22x more likely to remember story, which means it goes beyond just your brand story and also includes authentically tying story into every piece of content and marketing material you make.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA I CONFUSING

Yep, that’s right social media is a lot of information. It can be one of the coolest tools you use in the online space OR it can literally drive you crazy.

In the beginning, you want to be everywhere because that’s what you’re told right? Well, not really the best move when you’re just starting out.

Instead, I suggest you focus on one social media platform to start and get really good at that. In order to do this think of two things. #1 Where do you like to hang out and #2 Where is your audience spending time.

Boom - start there and stop overwhelming yourself trying to be everywhere!

5. MESSAGING IS MAGIC

If there is one thing I’ve learned as an entrepreneur and especially my first year in business is that messaging can make or break your success.

This goes back decades and is the foundation of successful advertising. You need to be crystal clear, do everything in your power to not confuse your audience and clearly communicate how it benefits your audience.

If there is one thing you set up at the start of your business it should be your brand messaging. What do you provide and how does it benefit your audience?

That’s the secret - making sure you’re clearly sharing how it benefits your audience.

If you’re always focused on this, it’s freaking magic.

I hope you take these five essential pieces and put them into action.

They can completely change the course of your business and your ability to reach profitability faster.

If you need support along the way, that’s where I come in.

My program Roadmap to Freedom is opening soon and it’s better than ever. This live 90-day program is for the new and aspiring female entrepreneur ready to simplify the process of building an online business that allows her to make money on her terms and create a life of abundant experiences and impact.

You can learn more at brandmerry.com/freedom.

P.S. Are we connected on Instagram? No? Well lady what’s happening here we’ve got to fix that. Come hang out with me on my favorite social media platform. Follow for inspiration and send me a DM to know we’re connected.

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- READ THE LATEST POSTS -

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MEET MICHELLE

Hey there, I'm Michelle Knight and I an online branding and marketing consultant for female entrepreneurs.

I believe in the power of storytelling and using that superpower to brand and market yourself online...oh and to set yourself free.

I'm obsessed with living a life of freedom, so much so, that my family and I now travel full-time while running my business from the road.

This blog serves as a home base for all things branding, marketing, content creation and more.