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Business Scaling Starts With One Thing Most Founders Skip [Ep. 373]
Episode 37315th July 2026 • The REAL Truth About Business: Business Strategy for Service Based Entrepreneurs • Michelle DeNio | Business Strategist
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If you feel like you’re working hard but not actually getting closer to your goals, this episode is going to show you exactly why. In this episode of The Real Truth About Business podcast, I’m breaking down the one foundational piece most service-based entrepreneurs skip when trying to scale: a clear, specific destination. This is for business owners who are stuck in a revenue plateau, trying different tactics, and still not seeing consistent business growth. After 9 years of experience, I can tell you this is rarely about needing more strategies. Inside this episode, I walk you through how defining your “North Star” transforms your business strategy, strengthens your pipeline, and simplifies your entire sales process so you can actually scale.

What You'll Learn:

  • Why most founders are stuck using tactics instead of real business strategy
  • How a clear “North Star” drives sustainable revenue growth
  • The difference between strategy, tactics, and direction in your business
  • Why vague goals are slowing your sales process and pipeline
  • How to create a scaling plan that actually works for your business
  • Why borrowing someone else’s strategy is keeping you stuck

Episode Highlights:

[00:00] Introduction: The cross-country road trip analogy

[02:00] Why most business owners are “driving in circles”

[04:00] The problem with vague goals like “I want to scale”

[06:00] What a true North Star looks like in business

[10:00] Real examples of specific, actionable business goals

[14:00] Why copying someone else’s roadmap doesn’t work

[18:00] Strategy vs. tactics: what most people get wrong

[22:00] How to use your North Star to make better decisions

[26:00] Why clarity simplifies your entire business strategy

[30:00] Final thoughts on scaling and long-term growth

Key Takeaways:

Scaling Starts With a Clear Destination

Here’s what I see constantly. Service-based entrepreneurs saying they want to “scale” or “grow,” but they can’t clearly define what that actually means.

After 9 years of working with business owners, I can tell you this is the biggest reason people stay stuck.

If your goal is vague, your business strategy will be vague.

And when your strategy is vague, your pipeline, pricing strategy, and sales process all become inconsistent. You’re moving, but you’re not moving in the right direction.

That’s why it feels like you’re spinning your wheels.

Your North Star Drives Everything

The most important concept in this episode is your North Star.

This is not a general goal. This is a specific, measurable destination.

Not:

  • “I want to hit six figures”
  • “I want to scale”

But:

  • “I want to add $2,000/month in recurring revenue every month”
  • “I want to pay off $1,000/month in debt from my business”
  • “I need 4 qualified sales calls per month to hit my revenue goals”

Inside the Focused Visionary Framework, this is what drives every decision across your Pricing, Pipeline, and Sales pillars.

Because once you know exactly where you’re going, everything else becomes clear.

Most People Are Using Tactics Without Strategy

This is where things break down.

You’re asking:

  • Should I post on Instagram?
  • Should I start a podcast?
  • Should I launch a workshop?

But those are not business strategy decisions.

Those are tactics.

Tactics are just “turns” on the road. Without a clear destination, you can take all the right turns and still end up going in circles.

That’s why more effort doesn’t always lead to more revenue growth.

Borrowing Someone Else’s Strategy Won’t Work

This is one of the biggest traps in the online space.

You see someone else’s roadmap and think:

“That worked for them, so it should work for me.”

But what you don’t see is:

  • Their starting point
  • Their capacity
  • Their actual goal

If their destination is different, their strategy will be different.

Trying to follow it anyway is like taking a scenic road trip when your goal is to get somewhere fast. You’ll end up frustrated, delayed, and off track.

Clarity Makes Decision-Making Simple

When you have a clear North Star, everything becomes easier.

Every decision becomes a simple filter:

  • Does this move me closer to my goal?
  • Or does it take me further away?

That applies to:

  • Offers
  • Investments
  • Marketing strategies
  • Hiring decisions

This is how you simplify your business strategy without constantly second-guessing yourself.

Scaling Requires Strategic Thinking

At a certain point, you cannot rely on trial and error anymore.

Throwing spaghetti at the wall works early on.

But if you want real business growth and consistent revenue, you need:

  • Clear targets
  • Defined timelines
  • Intentional planning

This is the shift from operator mode to CEO mindset.

And it’s what separates businesses that grow from businesses that actually scale.

You Don’t Need More Strategy. You Need More Clarity

This is the truth.

Most service-based entrepreneurs don’t need another tactic, another funnel, or another platform.

You need:

  • A clear destination
  • A strategy aligned to that destination
  • Consistent execution

That’s what creates momentum.

That’s what stabilizes your pipeline.

And that’s what allows you to scale without burning out.

Resources Mentioned

About the Host:

Michelle DeNio is a business strategist based in Sarasota, Florida, specializing in helping service-based entrepreneurs break through revenue plateaus using her Focused Visionary Framework. With over 300 podcast episodes and 9 years running her consulting business, she helps coaches, consultants, and service providers scale sustainably through strategic planning, pricing optimization, and sales process development.

Connect with Michelle

  1. Website
  2. Threads
  3. Instagram
  4. LinkedIn
  5. Facebook

Transcripts

Speaker A:

All right, I've got an analogy for you today.

Speaker A:

And it's an analogy I used to use all the time.

Speaker A:

And then for some reason I stopped using this analogy.

Speaker A:

And then I was teaching a workshop and it just came out of my mouth again.

Speaker A:

And I was like, why did I stop using that?

Speaker A:

Because it's so easy for people to understand.

Speaker A:

And the analogy is treating your business and your strategy and your scaling plan the same way you would treat a cross country road trip.

Speaker A:

And most people are not.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Most people.

Speaker A:

When you're planning a cross country road trip, most, most people do not literally just get in their car and decide they're going to drive across this country and have no destination, no gps, no map, no plan whatever.

Speaker A:

Now, I know that there are some people who will do that, but for the most part, we would not.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

And we would likely never get to our destination because we have no plan, we have no idea how we're going to get there.

Speaker A:

We don't know what route to take, nothing.

Speaker A:

We could literally find ourselves driving in a complete circle over and over and over again.

Speaker A:

And honestly, I see this all the time in business as well, where literally you're just driving in circles.

Speaker A:

It's the same because there is no clear destination.

Speaker A:

So yes, you're making forward progress.

Speaker A:

However, you're not actually moving in the direction that you're trying to go.

Speaker A:

And that's why people start to burn out.

Speaker A:

That's where this, like, you start to feel like, why am I spinning my wheels?

Speaker A:

Because you quite literally are.

Speaker A:

You're just driving with no destination.

Speaker A:

And so you're just ending up in the circle after circle after circle.

Speaker A:

So that's what we're diving into today.

Speaker A:

Be prepared for a lot of analogies, but the analogy makes sense.

Speaker A:

And it's one you're going to be able to relate to and one that you're going to easily be able to implement and use moving forward.

Speaker A:

Okay, so that's what we're diving into today.

Speaker A:

All right.

Speaker A:

So one of the biggest things that I see again is it's about the destination, right?

Speaker A:

If you literally were trying to say, I want to drive from Florida to California, that's a, that's a pretty decent destination, right?

Speaker A:

Like if you put it into your gps, it's going to drive you to California.

Speaker A:

But California is a big state and Florida is a big state.

Speaker A:

So where in Florida are you leaving from?

Speaker A:

Because you got to get out of Florida, right?

Speaker A:

Like, where I'm from, if I just started driving west, I would literally end up in The Gulf of Mexico.

Speaker A:

So that doesn't work, right?

Speaker A:

So.

Speaker A:

So I have to be clear with where I'm starting, and I have to be super clear where I'm going.

Speaker A:

Because if I'm trying to get to San Francisco, I don't want to hit me down in San Diego, right?

Speaker A:

Like, that's a big difference in where you're going.

Speaker A:

And it could be like a huge, massive jump, right?

Speaker A:

Like, if you're trying to get to San Francisco, you're not just saying California, right?

Speaker A:

So again, like, this is part of the problem is I see people setting these destinations per se that are very vague, right?

Speaker A:

I want us hit six figures.

Speaker A:

I want to scale.

Speaker A:

Well, what the fuck does that even mean, right?

Speaker A:

Like, scale to what and why and where the hell are you going and what is it going to?

Speaker A:

What does it mean when you get there?

Speaker A:

And quite honestly, how do you know when you've gotten there, right?

Speaker A:

If that's the thing, like, I want to hit six figures, you want to hit six figures in revenue, you want to pay yourself six figures.

Speaker A:

You want to pay yourself six figures plus have six figures in revenue, right?

Speaker A:

Like, again, it's not clear enough.

Speaker A:

And that's the problem.

Speaker A:

And this is why you might be circling and you might be getting close, but you're not getting there because.

Speaker A:

Because you really have not given yourself something specific enough that you can plan around, okay?

Speaker A:

And this is why I call it a North Star.

Speaker A:

Because to me, it's like you got to have that North Star in your business.

Speaker A:

You got to be able to know exactly where you're going, and it has to be so ridiculously specific.

Speaker A:

Because once it's specific, then you can start to plan all of the different ways and routes and things that you can do in order to get there, right?

Speaker A:

So if you literally are like getting in a row, you know, going on a road trip, right?

Speaker A:

You got to know where you're going.

Speaker A:

You got to know exactly how long it's going to take you.

Speaker A:

You got to decide, do I want to take the fast route or the scenic route where you're going to stop along the way, Are you making some detours?

Speaker A:

Are they on the way, Right?

Speaker A:

Are you willing to invest in some tolls to get there faster, right?

Speaker A:

So think about that from a business perspective, right?

Speaker A:

Like, where are you at?

Speaker A:

Where are you going?

Speaker A:

How long are you giving yourself to get there, right?

Speaker A:

So again, like, I'm trying to scale.

Speaker A:

Like, if you just said, I want to scale or I want to hit six figures, okay?

Speaker A:

When in the next Five years.

Speaker A:

Do you want this to be like the super slow, steady, sustainable?

Speaker A:

Is it that you're trying to hit 20k months and you're at 15k months so it's not that big of a jump.

Speaker A:

Are you trying to pay yourself 10, you know, $10,000 a month and if.

Speaker B:

So, where are you currently starting from again?

Speaker A:

And like are you wanting to build slow and sustainable and kind of like try things out more scenic, like the scenic route or are you like I just want to get there in the.

Speaker B:

Fastest route possible and I'm willing to invest into it to get me there.

Speaker B:

I'm willing to invest in the people.

Speaker A:

Or the systems or strategies or whatever.

Speaker B:

I need in order to get to this destination the fastest.

Speaker B:

Right.

Speaker B:

That's what I mean by having it some like a destination that's so clear because again like if you're driving from Florida to California, you're not getting there in one day.

Speaker B:

It's not possible.

Speaker A:

It's more than 24 hours.

Speaker A:

So even if you didn't sleep, it still can't happen in 24 hours.

Speaker B:

Right?

Speaker B:

You've got to know exactly like what is it actually going to take for me to get there?

Speaker B:

Because again a lot of times what I see happen in business is that people are setting up a goal or a destination per se, and they're giving themselves an inadequate amount of time to get there.

Speaker B:

Right.

Speaker B:

And then wondering why, they're like why isn't this happening?

Speaker B:

Why isn't this happening?

Speaker B:

Well, quite honestly it's not even physically possible, right?

Speaker B:

Like it's not physically possible to drive from Florida to California in one day.

Speaker B:

It's more hours than you physically have.

Speaker B:

And again, that's what's happening.

Speaker B:

You're out of capacity, you're working, it's, you're, you're working with a goal that's not quite there yet.

Speaker B:

And that's what I mean about having this so specific and knowing so that you can plan backwards.

Speaker B:

Because once you have your destination, you can work backwards on everything else.

Speaker A:

So again your destination is going to determine the plan, the strategy that, where you're going, how you're getting there.

Speaker A:

But if you don't have that, you're not going to be able to figure that out.

Speaker A:

So this is like some examples of hyper specific destinations.

Speaker A:

Okay, I have one client right now who originally came to me and was like, I think my big north stars.

Speaker A:

I just want to pay off debt.

Speaker A:

And I'm like, well what does that mean?

Speaker A:

And how the hell are you even going to get there?

Speaker A:

Are we talking about paying off $5,000 of debt?

Speaker A:

Are we talking about paying off in saving and then putting a big chunk on debt?

Speaker A:

Are we looking at paying $100 a month towards debt?

Speaker A:

Like what does that even look like?

Speaker A:

Because how can we plan for that?

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

And then we decided, because she wants to go fast and furious, right?

Speaker A:

She's wanting to really hit this goal hard.

Speaker A:

And so her goal, her North Star is to pay $1,000 a month off on her debt from her business on top of what she is currently paying herself.

Speaker A:

So we had to first and foremost figure out how much she's paying herself and you know, if that number was enough.

Speaker A:

And then we had to add an additional thousand dollars on to accommodate for her goal, her North Star.

Speaker A:

And then once we knew that we had a number, right now we're working with a solid number, a solid destination.

Speaker A:

We know exactly what that looks like and we know exactly how we're going to do it in meaning like for every invoice that she receives in and straight payments, she's going to take a percentage of that and put it to the side so that at the end of every month she can pay this thousand dollars in debt.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Like that is what I mean by so specific.

Speaker A:

And then from there you can then backwards plan how many clients, what's the, the sales process?

Speaker A:

Are her offers in alignment?

Speaker A:

Is it even possible?

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

Looking at it through that lens.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

And so again, another hyper, hyper specific example would be booking for discovery calls a month.

Speaker A:

I had a client who knew if she could get four discovery calls a month that she could convert on average I think it was 50 or 75%.

Speaker A:

So 2 to 3amonth.

Speaker A:

And that would keep her busy because she's a project based business owner.

Speaker A:

So she has a high turnover.

Speaker A:

You know, she's got that high turnover with project based business.

Speaker A:

And so she knew that she needed to be focusing on four calls per month and doing and taking the action of like, okay, what does it look like to actually book those calls?

Speaker A:

Again, hyper specific destination so that you can determine your route.

Speaker A:

Now here's the other mistake I see happen all the time and using this analogy again is saying like I just want to hit six figures and somebody else is saying I want to hit six figures and you guys do the exact same thing.

Speaker A:

When in reality one of you wants to hit 20k months and one of you wants to hit 10k months and those two strategies are completely different.

Speaker A:

Or if you have somebody that's scaling to 30k months but they're already sitting at 20k months, that strategy and that route to get there is going to look completely different than somebody that's sitting at maybe 5k trying to get to 10 or 12k a month.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

And this I see all the time is somebody says like, okay, here's the roadmap, right?

Speaker A:

We even use this word all the time in business.

Speaker A:

Like, here's the roadmap.

Speaker A:

Well, whose roadmap is it again?

Speaker A:

This is like me saying like, oh yeah, I want to drive.

Speaker A:

I'm, I'm gonna get in the car and we're, we're gonna take this cross country road trip and we're gonna go out west and somebody's like, oh my gosh, we just did that.

Speaker A:

And here I can give you our roadmap.

Speaker A:

I can tell you everywhere we stopped and blah, blah, blah, come to find out that they took this slow and scenic route because they're retired, whatever, and next thing you know, they stopp at a different state they explored, they stayed two, three days, whatever, and you're over here like, what the hell?

Speaker A:

Why am I not getting where I want to go?

Speaker A:

And you're just literally following somebody else's plan, following somebody else's plan, knowing no idea what they're actually doing, what their goal was.

Speaker A:

This person's goal was to see the United States, to see all the different states, to explore, to be scenic, right?

Speaker A:

Maybe yours is like, I just want to get there and then I'm going to go and make sure that I've got, I'm setting up for business, whatever it is, right?

Speaker A:

Like I'm using these analogies.

Speaker A:

But again, you're, you're taking somebody else's roadmap without really clearly understanding where the hell they were going or where they were starting from in the first place.

Speaker A:

And then wondering like, why am I not getting where I want to go?

Speaker A:

Well, because it's probably not set up to get you where you want to go, right?

Speaker A:

And again, like, you've got to know your destination.

Speaker A:

You've got to know what is important to you.

Speaker A:

Is time more important to you?

Speaker A:

Is freedom more important to you?

Speaker A:

Is fast more important to you, right?

Speaker A:

You've got to think about that and have very clear expectations so that you can create your roadmap, so that you can create your plan, one that works with your life, your capacity, okay?

Speaker A:

Because if you don't, you're literally just borrowing somebody else's strategy and it may never lead you where you want to go.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

That's the thing is it may never get you there.

Speaker A:

And that's why to me, it's about having a North Star, something that is specific to you.

Speaker A:

And when you have a North Star so clear like this, I want to pay a thousand dollars a month towards my debt, in addition to everything I'm currently paying myself for.

Speaker A:

Everything becomes so clear, whether it's a yes or a no.

Speaker A:

If somebody says, hey, do you want to invest in this?

Speaker A:

Nope.

Speaker A:

Right now we're paying off debt.

Speaker A:

Hey, do you want to go here?

Speaker A:

Do you want to attend this event with me?

Speaker A:

Do you want to try this?

Speaker A:

Do you want to do that?

Speaker A:

Nope.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Like, it is so freaking clear that you know exactly what you're doing and you know what actions are going to get you there.

Speaker A:

That when somebody comes out at you or some shiny object, because we are all seeing it, we're getting inundated, some new thing comes your way and you're like, oh, my gosh, that sounds like a great idea.

Speaker A:

And.

Speaker A:

But you really quicken in that real quick minute can do that check in of like, does this get me closer to my North Star?

Speaker A:

Is this keeping me on my path?

Speaker A:

Is this keeping me on the fastest route from Florida to California?

Speaker A:

No stops, nothing, Right?

Speaker A:

Like, we're not stopping for scenic route.

Speaker A:

We're not visiting all the different states.

Speaker A:

Like, my goal right now is to get from Florida to North or Florida to California.

Speaker A:

So if somebody says to me, like, oh, my gosh, while you're on your road trip, why don't you come to North Carolina?

Speaker A:

Well, no, that's not part of the strategy right now.

Speaker A:

That's way the frick out of the way.

Speaker A:

That's going to take you up off of way the hell out.

Speaker A:

And next thing you know, you're going to end up on a completely different road trip and you may literally never get to California again.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

So that's the thing of, like, does this decision move you closer to your destination?

Speaker A:

So it becomes like, should I launch this offer?

Speaker A:

Does it get you closer to your destination to that North Star?

Speaker A:

Yes or no?

Speaker A:

Should I hire this team member?

Speaker A:

Does it get me closer to my destination?

Speaker A:

Yes or no?

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

Should I start this podcast?

Speaker A:

Should I join this mastermind?

Speaker B:

Right?

Speaker A:

Like, we get these thoughts on a daily.

Speaker A:

All day long, all.

Speaker A:

Every day, all day, right?

Speaker B:

It.

Speaker A:

I cannot tell you how easy it is when you have a clear North Star, right?

Speaker A:

Like right now, currently, my North Star is to add $2,000 a month reoccurring revenue every single month.

Speaker B:

I'm not talking project money, I'm not talking cash injections.

Speaker B:

I'M not talking any of that.

Speaker B:

I'm saying I want to continuously add $2,000 a month in reoccurring revenue month.

Speaker A:

After month after month after month.

Speaker B:

So it compounds two compounds to four, four compounds to six.

Speaker B:

Six compounds, eight.

Speaker B:

Right.

Speaker B:

Like every month.

Speaker B:

And so I can now look at.

Speaker A:

It and go, is this going to get me closer to 2K reoccurring?

Speaker B:

Right.

Speaker A:

So if I create a bunch of one off offers, cash injection style offers, my immediate thing is like, is this getting me closer to reoccurring or do I need to promote the tiered system for fva?

Speaker B:

Which, by the way, if you have.

Speaker A:

Not seen the new tiered offers for the Focus Visionary accelerator, click the link.

Speaker B:

In the show notes.

Speaker B:

There is now three tiers to entry into the Focus Visionary Accelerator.

Speaker A:

I'm so excited about it because what I really want is for everybody to have this framework.

Speaker A:

And this is step two.

Speaker A:

This is the North Star.

Speaker A:

This is step two in the framework.

Speaker B:

Because it is that important.

Speaker A:

It is like it's, it drives everything.

Speaker B:

Else and I wanted everybody to be able to have access to it.

Speaker B:

So now there's a light tier, there is a Mastermind tier, and then there is a private tier.

Speaker B:

So I'm going to link it in the show notes, go check it out.

Speaker B:

I would love to have you in the light tier if that's a great.

Speaker A:

Starting point for you.

Speaker B:

Of course I'd love to see you in the Mastermind.

Speaker B:

But again, if you're looking for a.

Speaker A:

Lower entry point with less commitment, it's got a much lower commitment.

Speaker A:

Definitely go check out those offers.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

But again, to my point of like, they're created and they are reoccurring revenue, so they are working very well with my North Star right now.

Speaker A:

So again, if I get this harebrained idea of like, I think I want to create this workshop, I think I want to do this, I think I should do this.

Speaker A:

Let me, let me put out this cash injection offer.

Speaker A:

My immediate response is, is this getting me close reoccurring revenue?

Speaker A:

Because all of those things could lead to reoccurring revenue if they are entry points into those FVA offers.

Speaker A:

But if they are not entry points and they are true standalone offers, then they are not going to get me closer to my $2,000 a month.

Speaker A:

However, once my $2,000 a month is secured, right, then I can look at and go, let's do a cash injection this month.

Speaker A:

Let's try this.

Speaker A:

Let's put this out there, right?

Speaker A:

Like, maybe I run a workshop, maybe I run A challenge or something, whatever that is.

Speaker A:

Or I have an opening for like some Voxer or WhatsApp coaching or something like that, right?

Speaker A:

Where it's a one off, easy peasy, something like that.

Speaker A:

But not until my $2,000 a month is secured.

Speaker B:

Right?

Speaker A:

Again, you see how clear this is?

Speaker A:

And so it's like, once you know that, literally everything falls into place.

Speaker A:

And it's so simple.

Speaker A:

And the answer is no.

Speaker A:

No matter how good the opportunity is, if it's not moving you closer to your North Star, you don't say yes right now.

Speaker A:

It's like a not right now.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

And I think that is so crucial.

Speaker A:

All right?

Speaker A:

And here's the thing I also want to mention is that in the online space, people are obsessed with tactics and they are calling them strategies, right?

Speaker A:

Should I post on LinkedIn?

Speaker A:

Should I jump on threads?

Speaker A:

Should I start running workshops?

Speaker A:

Somebody else said that workshops are really working.

Speaker A:

I think I want to hand or do start doing masterclasses.

Speaker A:

Maybe I should start a YouTube.

Speaker B:

Right?

Speaker A:

Those are literally just turns.

Speaker A:

If you think about it.

Speaker A:

Like, if you think again, coming back to our analogy, it's like, should I take this left?

Speaker A:

You know how like, like if you are on Google or Waze, it'll always say, like, you can go this way or you can take this one, this one's seven minutes slower, this one's seven minutes faster.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Like, that's literally what you're asking of, like, turns.

Speaker A:

Do I want to turn this way and take seven extra minutes, or do I want to stay on this route and go this way?

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

That's what these things are, is all these random ideas.

Speaker A:

Those are literally just tactics, okay?

Speaker A:

And so I want you, before you get so wrapped up into tactics, think about it from the analogy of like, the North Star is, where are we going?

Speaker A:

The strategy is what is the best route to get there?

Speaker A:

And the tactic is, what is my next turn?

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

It's always that, like, what is the next turn I need to make?

Speaker A:

And it's not all the turns.

Speaker A:

It's what is my next best turn?

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

And most of you are just implementing tactics.

Speaker A:

What's the next turn?

Speaker A:

What's the next turn?

Speaker A:

What's the next turn?

Speaker A:

And you're, like I said, you're turning and you're moving in forward motion, but you literally could just be taking a left and a left and a left and a left and a left and just going in a square or a circle, okay?

Speaker A:

Because you don't know where you're actually trying to go.

Speaker A:

So without your North Star.

Speaker A:

And without the strategy and the route to get there, you're moving and going in circles.

Speaker A:

Okay, now here's the thing.

Speaker A:

It sounds like, I'm sure you're probably thinking like, oh, that all sounds great, but what happens when life throws you a curveball?

Speaker A:

Or, what if a new opportunity does come?

Speaker A:

Or what if I want to change my direction?

Speaker A:

Well, you absolutely can, right?

Speaker A:

I'm not sitting here saying we don't change the destination.

Speaker A:

We do.

Speaker A:

Earlier this year, my North Star was to be my own best client.

Speaker A:

It's still my North Star, but I got a little bit more specific as time has moved on, I'm like, okay, now I'm getting really clear on what I want to do from a revenue standpoint.

Speaker A:

But again, I didn't want to just say I wanted to increase revenue.

Speaker A:

It was like, what does increasing revenue really look like?

Speaker A:

And what am I actually trying to achieve?

Speaker A:

Well, for me, it's reoccurring revenue, right?

Speaker A:

So again, strategy is going to evolve and it's detours are going to happen.

Speaker A:

I took a huge detour this year.

Speaker A:

I told you that in the last episode.

Speaker A:

About Q2 was like a massive freaking detour.

Speaker A:

I was launching offers, doing all kinds of shit, and it's like, it happens, it happens.

Speaker A:

But that's the beautiful thing is, like, I literally sat down at the end of the June and I was like, get your together, right?

Speaker A:

Let's figure this out.

Speaker A:

You're way the hell off.

Speaker A:

And I did get off the rails because again, I didn't really have a clear destination because it had kind of gotten super muddied.

Speaker A:

And so I literally sat down, got a clear destination, created the strategy, I'm right back on track, right?

Speaker A:

I know exactly where I'm going.

Speaker A:

And that's the beautiful thing about it is, like, it does change.

Speaker A:

And your North Star can change when life throws you a curveball, right?

Speaker A:

But the point is, is that you have a North Star, you redefine the destination.

Speaker A:

It doesn't mean you can't take a detour.

Speaker A:

It doesn't mean you can't decide for a little while you want to go on the scenic route.

Speaker A:

Doesn't mean that for a little while you don't want to stop and just enjoy where you're at.

Speaker A:

You absolutely can.

Speaker A:

But when the time comes and you're ready to move again, you make sure you have that clear destination redefined.

Speaker A:

And that is what is most important.

Speaker A:

Because when you have that, then you can redefine your route.

Speaker A:

You can redefine the strategy and the tactics that are going to get there.

Speaker A:

But most people, like I said, constantly just operating from a place of tactics.

Speaker A:

Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn.

Speaker A:

And that's why people are spinning their wheels.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

So I'm telling you, if you don't have a North Star, get one and get specific about it.

Speaker A:

I don't want to hear.

Speaker A:

I just want to hit six figures.

Speaker A:

I don't want to hear.

Speaker A:

I want to take my family on vacation.

Speaker A:

Okay, where.

Speaker A:

Where are we taking your family on vacation?

Speaker A:

When, for how long?

Speaker A:

What's it going to cost on average?

Speaker A:

I had a client that was like her big North Star at one point was to take her family to Disney.

Speaker A:

Well, she.

Speaker A:

She worked it out.

Speaker A:

She kind of did some.

Speaker A:

Some quick planning and got a number.

Speaker A:

So it wasn't just like, I'm going to take my family to Disney.

Speaker A:

It's like, no, I'm going to save.

Speaker A:

I think it was like $10,000 to take my family to Disney.

Speaker A:

And we, again, that specificity is what is so important.

Speaker A:

Because if you don't have it, you can literally just like, yeah, I'm working towards my goals.

Speaker A:

I'm working on taking my family to Disney.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

And you can constantly be in this, like, I'm working on it, but are you really working on it?

Speaker A:

And how close are we actually getting?

Speaker A:

And what are again, the mile markers we were talking about that in the very beginning of, like, what are the mile markers?

Speaker A:

What are the milestones that actually prove to you that you're moving in the right direction?

Speaker A:

Well, you can't set those mile markers in those milestones if you don't have a clear.

Speaker A:

If it's not clear and specific.

Speaker B:

Right?

Speaker A:

So this is, again, like I mentioned before, this is in my Focus Visionary framework.

Speaker A:

I think every single founder needs it, Every business owner needs this framework because it is literally going to identify and it's going to make it so freaking clear for you.

Speaker A:

And then what the strategy is.

Speaker A:

And then all the other pieces in the framework tell you what those strategy pieces are.

Speaker A:

Based on your business.

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Based on your destination.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Based on what season your business is operating in.

Speaker A:

We talked about the four seasons of business in a previous episode as well.

Speaker A:

If you don't know what season your business is in, again, you can't really create a plan.

Speaker A:

And that's the thing.

Speaker A:

This is not about learning another big new strategy.

Speaker A:

Right.

Speaker A:

For the most part, most of you don't need a new strategy.

Speaker A:

You just need a clearer destination.

Speaker A:

That's what this comes down to.

Speaker A:

It's not that you don't know what you're doing or that you're doing anything wrong.

Speaker A:

I think a lot of people think they're doing something wrong, but it's like, no, I hit this now, I don't know.

Speaker A:

You just need somebody that can help you define that next big vision, that bet that next big North Star, right?

Speaker A:

And then once you have that, then we plan the route around that.

Speaker A:

And so again, if you have not seen the new tiered offers, check them out, because the every single one of those offers is going to give you access to the framework.

Speaker A:

And you kind of pick your path.

Speaker A:

Again, you pick your path.

Speaker A:

Unlike.

Speaker A:

Do you want the slow and kind of like, do it at my own pace route?

Speaker A:

Do you want the like, slow and steady and with a group and all the things, or do you want to move fast and go private and we jump in and we dive in and we move at the speed of light?

Speaker A:

Right?

Speaker A:

Like that kind of thing.

Speaker A:

And stop comparing your strategy to everybody else's because your destination is different.

Speaker A:

So stop borrowing somebody else's roadmap because their roadmap is taking them where they want to go, not where you want to go.

Speaker A:

So stop borrowing other people's roadmaps and create your own.

Speaker A:

And the only way that you can create your own is if you know where you're starting and where you're trying to freaking go.

Speaker A:

And this is the difference between those that scale and those that get stuck.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

It's not anything wrong.

Speaker A:

It's just simply that your business is requiring you to think differently at this point.

Speaker A:

It's requiring you to think more strategically.

Speaker A:

It's requiring you to get more specific.

Speaker A:

You can throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks for a while.

Speaker A:

But if you really are wanting to scale, remember we talked about the true definition of scaling?

Speaker A:

So make sure if you don't have that, like, go back to that episode and listen to that one.

Speaker A:

But really understand, you are trying to scale.

Speaker A:

What is it actually going to take to get there?

Speaker A:

And what is your definition of scaling?

Speaker A:

What does scaling mean to you?

Speaker A:

Because scaling is just a freaking term, okay?

Speaker A:

A lot of these things, a lot of these destinations that so many of you are setting are literally just terms.

Speaker A:

They're just statements.

Speaker A:

They're not clear destinations.

Speaker A:

And without a clear destination, you cannot get where you're trying to go.

Speaker A:

Okay?

Speaker A:

So make sure you set your clear destination.

Speaker A:

Go check the link in the show notes for the offers.

Speaker A:

If you want a. I already have a system.

Speaker A:

I'm not calling it a roadmap because it's not.

Speaker A:

It's a framework, it's a system.

Speaker A:

It's a step by step process that is going to help you to create your own roadmap.

Speaker A:

That is what the focus Visionary is and then you can choose how you want to implement it.

Speaker A:

All right, so definitely go in and check that out and if you want to just talk about it again, I there is always, always, always a link in the show notes to get on my calendar.

Speaker A:

Please, for the love of God, get on it.

Speaker A:

Just get on it.

Speaker A:

Let's just talk about it.

Speaker A:

Literally, just talk.

Speaker A:

That's all.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

I'm not going to sell you if you don't want to be sold to, but I'm going to offer you a solution if I have one.

Speaker A:

So if you have not jumped on my calendar, please do not feel intimidated by it.

Speaker A:

I know, I've heard that before.

Speaker A:

Please just jump on my calendar.

Speaker A:

The link is there for a reason.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

All right.

Speaker A:

I love you, I believe in you and I will talk to you soon.

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