by What would be one simple change you could recommend that your audience make, today?
What would be one thing your ideal customer or client could do to make their lives better, to solve a specific problem they have?
As entrepreneurs and business owners, the trials and tribulations we go through are often great lessons for others to learn from.
And as product creators and niche experts, the discoveries we make in service to our customers are breakthroughs we can share with those who need our help.
So, think of a small change you could pass on that you’ve learned as a result of your unique experience…
If you’ve figured out where a lot of people are going wrong, it shouldn’t be too much of a stretch to come up with one recommendation for change that can impact the lives of your target market.
This message should also be something you can give away, for free…
Consider it your gift to the world, for the right people to find and use.
(“Hang on Pete, what about ROI? What will I get in return from giving this ‘gift’? I got mouths to feed!
I’ll get to that in a second…)
First, understand that when you do this, you start inspiring change…
And you don’t have to be the king or queen of your market to do this either.
Even if today is day one of your new biz, you can still inspire people by taking that first small step, and watching that change spread.
As Bernadette Jiwa says in her new book Story Driven:
All change happens at the edges.
It starts with the first person who decides to expose a truth.
In doing so, they rewrite the story…
…Our collective prosperity depends on each of us taking that first small step toward owning our story and the unique contribution we can make.”
Which means you don’t have to have an audience in their thousands or millions to make a difference.
YOU have the power to shape the world with your unique experiences and insights…
You have the raw materials already. Now it’s simply a case of expressing your gift in the clearest way.
So your gift of ‘change from the edges’ should be something you can communicate in just 2-3 sentences…
Your task is to connect it effectively to the people who are ready to hear it.
At the same time, it should be something they aren’t hearing from anyone else…
Which requires a focus on uniqueness – that’s where your personality and your journey come in. Nobody else in the world has those things.
Then, figure out the best way to deliver this gift of change, so you can offer it to people who enter your world through your website, your podcast, your talks or whatever.
Yes, you can build your message into a downloadable ‘lead magnet’ if you want – but it shouldn’t always be necessary to have people opt-in with their email to get it.
List-building is only one way to demonstrate your unique skills and authority…
It’s also possible to give your gift with no expectation of receiving anything in return (I know, and in marketing too! – check my drink, call me crazy etc).
Because once you start spreading this message, people start to recognise you as someone with unique value to offer – which attracts more of those you want to help.
You don’t have to send a 12-email upsell series to everyone who encounters your idea for change…
Instead, you can use it as a way to deepen your relationship with those who stick around for more.
So you continue to give your gift, but in a way that doesn’t drain you of anything…
Instead you’re rewriting the story – and therefore conducting an energy that flows in a positive way.
(Ok I’ll admit:
It sounds like I’m on a real hippy trip today, but seriously – isn’t it worth being known for making a change that cost you nothing, instead of being seen as a locked door which only money can open?)
If you’re on the edges and don’t have a huge reputation yet, there’s no reason you can’t start driving change in your industry now.
When you put something important out into the world, that’s when people start seeing you as unique, and as someone they can identify with, and trust.
What growing biz doesn’t want that?
If you need help choosing your gift of change, get in touch here.
That’s where I’m helping other businesses and entrepreneurs like us who want to inspire change from the edges.
PS – what about my simple change, you (possibly) ask? What do I recommend to people who cross my path?
If I could pass on one thing entrepreneurship has taught me this past couple of years, it would be this:
If you’re in business to help a group of people you care about, forget “bigger = better”. Forget growth for growth’s sake.
Question WHY you do what you do, and use the answer to do it, better.
