Defusing Bombs – Recognize Your Ineffective Business Mindset So This Doesn’t Happen To You

So you want to finally quit your day job and make a living running your own business? Or have you already launched your business but are still struggling to really “make it”? Even if you offer the best product or service in the world as long as you continue to allow yourself to operate from an ineffective money mindset business success will elude you.

Yes, this really is a choice you’re making and yes you can change your mind. If you’re struggling just to make ends meet, maybe you can benefit from a little “anger therapy” to recognize a Hobbyist Mindset…

My Angry ‘Aha!’

An acquaintance called looking for a quick turn-around on a copywriting job to promote her new program. No problem. I don’t love quick turn-arounds, but hey, I understand being in a pinch too. Then she dropped the verbal equivalent of a bomb on me — “I need it done on a tight budget.”

Why was this a bomb? Because she wanted me to drop my other work, put hers at the head of the queue so that she could more effectively promote her program (read: make more money), and then under-pay me for it. She knew I had more than a decade of experience as a professional writer and was a well-trained marketing strategist. To be blunt, she was basically saying, “I’ll pay a pittance for your expertise, so that I can increase my income.”

Looking Beneath The Surface

So many of us have been duped into believing one of two things:

1. Our life-transforming services are less valuable than, say a new carburetor in your car, a trip to the Bahamas, or a daily latte. Or …

2. Our services are so precious that we are obligated to practically GIVE THEM AWAY to folks who can’t appreciate them enough to drum up cash to pay for them (even if they can sort out what they need for a night on the town or a new outfit).

An Anger That Heals?

The anger that rose in me when I read my friend’s request shocked me. It also changed my life. To be clear, my anger wasn’t at her. Not at all! It was with myself, for willingly broadcasting an energy that said, “I am an expert and I’ll accept crumbs in order to help you live a better life.”

This ‘Aha!’ rocked my world in a good way and helped me understand the message I now share with healers, teachers, and anyone who is under-charging for their valuable services. And what is that message?

Here it is: Honor your work as more than a hobby and charge what your expertise is worth.

Have you experienced an “angry a-ha moment” with your business? Share what it was and how you overcame it in the comments below.