The exact mindset work I did to have my best month in sales
There aren’t a lot of people talking about what it takes to make a pivot as an entrepreneur.
As business owners, we’re more than familiar with tweaking things when something’s NOT working. We’ve gotten good at trimming down offerings, rewriting copy, trying different marketing strategies, the list goes on.
That exact problem-solving skillset is part of what makes us so good at what we do.
But what happens when you want to take something that IS working (very well, actually!) and say, “Eff that, I’m going to follow my heart and my calling.”??? What then?
Well, it can be pretty damn terrifying.
So much so, that I’ve avoided talking about it.
Because the idea of walking away from…
... Five-figure design projects
… Diving into a totally new industry (coaching!)
… Building a brand new business from the ground up
… Growing a completely new and different audience
All to follow my heart, do the work that lights me up, and consequently create life- and business-altering results for my clients… Well, it sounds a little crazy and maybe a little too good to be true.
You’ve likely heard the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
And while the mechanics of my design business weren’t broken (I was showing up, doing the work, and getting paid after all!) something inside wasn’t feeling quite right.
Time and time again, I saw how your branding could look stunningly beautiful on the OUTSIDE, but if you weren’t taking the RIGHT actions behind the scenes to create the life and business you actually wanted, well, you could be pretty darn miserable with the results.
And again and again, I felt this calling to want to jump in and help.
Not just with the visuals, but with the mindset behind all the other things it takes to do this #entrepreneur thing.
Because if I’ve learned anything, it’s that nothing will push on your personal and professional development from both sides MORE than running a business. And if you’re not managing your thoughts during that rollercoaster ride, well, it can really take a toll on how you show up in your bottom line.
So this week, I’m taking you behind the scenes and sharing the EXACT mindset work that I did to have my best month in sales in my SECOND business, so you can start applying this work to your own life and business NOW and create more of the success you actually want.
Believing in myself and my message
There was a time in both businesses I’ve built (both design and coaching!) that I felt completely lost as to how to communicate what it was that I did. You might be there right now, and girl, I feel you. It’s not that I didn’t know what I was doing day-to-day, but rather that I felt fuzzy on who exactly I helped and how to communicate that in a way that not only felt good, but would entice them to want to know more and actually want to work with me.
Even the dentist asking me what I did would send my head spinning and make me want to run and hide. I absolutely dreaded explaining that branding was more than “like, logos and stuff.” And that feeling of constantly wanting to avoid this conversation showed up everywhere from how often I had business cards on me to how often I followed up with leads (let’s be real, almost never!). Because remember, even the smallest mindset challenge can show up in BIG ways, and it was most definitely showing up in my bottom line.
I don’t believe in “secrets” to business, but if I did it would be this: confidence in your business stems from confidence in yourself. Meaning YOU have to believe in you. Because to be perfectly honest, that’s when everything shifted for me.
In my coaching business, it was when I got crystal clear on my message and started being able to communicate it that I generated more leads. It sounds so simple, but finally OWNING that I’m a mindset coach who helps creatives and entrepreneurs who are feeling stressed and overwhelmed to create a beautiful, balanced life and a successful, thriving business (because I deeply believe you can have BOTH!) was an absolute game-changer.
Not only that, but it was when I did the mindset work to BELIEVE in that message, the work I did, the VALUE I offered, and the RESULTS I helped my clients achieve that I started to feel more confident in raising my rates and ultimately started to see more money in the bank.
This is why I’m so passionate that my Future You clients do the mindset work to believe in both themselves and their message. Because mindset is the foundation for everything that comes next, making it essential to getting the results you want in both life and business.
Doing the mindset work to show up consistently
The word “marketing” used to feel vague and scary to me. (There’s that mindset hurdle showing up again!) My design business was built almost entirely on referrals from day one, and the truth is, this was both a blessing and a curse. Because in all honesty, I had no idea how to market my business. I knew I wanted to draw in more of my people, make more sales, have a bigger impact, and see more money in the bank, BUT HOW…?!?
When I started this second business, in a totally new industry, I didn’t have as much of a network to rely on for referrals. It was up to me to get the word out and learn how the hell to do this thing called marketing. But what I realized is that marketing is simply showing up consistently for your people, providing value, and telling them how they can work with you.
What I also found is that it means sticking with a marketing plan for long enough to actually see results. It means showing up and writing weekly content even when I’m feeling uninspired (because inspiration always finds you working!). It means posting to Instagram when I’d rather not have to look at my phone. It means showing up even when I don’t feel like it.
And THAT is where the mindset work comes in. Over here on team human-being, we love the idea of instant gratification. We love evidence that all our hard work is actually paying off. We want to see results, dammit, and we want to see them now. But when you’re starting a business, that “proof” that it’s all actually working can take time to build. And it’s exactly then that you need to manage your thoughts so you can stick with your marketing plan long enough to SEE IT WORK. You keep showing up AS IF it was working because consequently, that’s how you see more of the results you want.
So many of the entrepreneurs I chat with on my free coaching calls are flip-flopping all. the. time. They’re changing business models. They’re switching up their messaging. They’re jumping from one social media channel to the next. The list goes on. All of this makes it really hard to gain momentum and it leads them to sit in a story about how they’re “not good at sales” or “how their website needs to be redone,” when in actuality, they just need to give it more time.
Visualizing what I want (to create more of it!)
If you’ve been following me for a while now, or even if you’re brand new here, you should know that I’m a huge fan of visualizing what it is that you want. As a visual person, I’ve been using this mindset hack long before I was ever introduced to the topic of mindset and it’s yet another reason why I think vision boards can be so powerful. Because every single success I’ve had in my life and business was first a visualization…
Leaving the buzz of NYC life behind for a quieter and slower pace? Visualized it.
Quitting my full-time job and building my own business (x2!) from the ground up? Visualized it.
Moving from our tiny apartment in Denver to the house of my dreams up here in the mountains. Visualized it.
Doing high-level design work at a five-figure price point (with the dreamiest of clients!). Visualized it.
Having the freedom and flexibility in my schedule to drop everything and go for a midday run or a last minute vacation. Visualized it.
People are really quick to label this kind of thinking as “woo-woo” or “out there” but the way I see it, there’s nothing out there about being clear on what you want and how you want to create it. Because the first step to getting what you want is KNOWING what you want.
Too often I see people holding themselves back from their dreams because they’re unsure of exactly HOW they’re going to make them happen. But what I’ve found is that if you’re clear on what you want, the feeling you’re looking to create, and take small, consistent efforts toward your goal, → the how almost always reveals itself.
Visualization exercises allow you to bypass “the how” and trick your brain into already believing it’s yours, making it that much easier to make it a reality. That’s why I when I start with my Future You clients, we get specific about the life and business they’re looking to create and I design the vision board of their dreams, complete with visioning exercises to help them uplevel their mindset.
Feeling (like really feeling) the wins
My fiancé and I have a running joke that I’ll look for any reason to celebrate. I can’t say he’s wrong. I’m over here blasting Taylor Swift and dancing like nobody’s watching (cause no one is 😂) every time I get a new client. We're going on sushi dates and we’re ordering a bottle of wine to toast to new podcast milestones. I’m treating myself to lattes a little extra for all of the recent WINS.
But all this celebrating has allowed me to create more success that actually FEELS like success. Because one thing I know about us high-achievers, ladies, is that right after we tick one more box, we’re right on to the next thing. We’re quick to fill that spot with the next dream, goal, or achievement.
But like I tell my Future You clients, if you don’t stop long enough to actually recognize the wins, to appreciate the hard work that went into hitting your goal, and give yourself credit for making it happen… Well, it can be all too easy to glaze over it and constantly feel like you’re reaching, reaching, reaching.
All this celebrating also helps your brain to create a positive association with those wins. There was a time when I was instantly overwhelmed the minute I’d get a new inquiry or sign a new client. My thoughts would spiral into scheduling, how much there was to do, and the immense pressure I’d put on myself for the client to be happy with the end result. And you know what? All of that stress, overwhelm, and worry created a really negative association in my mind around getting new clients.
Having those two opposite thoughts battling it out in my head…
→ I want more clients.
→ I’m going to be stressed and overwhelmed if I GET more clients.
…made it really difficult to take action that was aligned with what I wanted. Which again, is why this kind of thought work can be so powerful. Once I was able to identify those thoughts and create a NEW more positive association with getting clients, aka…
→ More clients mean more money, the ability to hire a virtual assistant to create more time, freedom, and fulfillment in my life
AND celebrate that, the easier it was for me to take ACTION that would lead to that result like writing content, hoping on calls, and actually asking for the sale.
The bottom line:
Mindset is absolutely, 100% the foundation for creating everything that you want in life and business because even the smallest thoughts can show up in BIG ways. So just to recap:
→ Believing in yourself FIRST, so you can pour that confidence into your business, allows you to
→ Share your message more clearly and consistently and take the RIGHT actions to actually boost sales, so you can
→ Create more profit and fulfillment in your work in life (and reach more of the things you’ve been visualizing!)
→ And CELEBRATE all that you’ve achieved!!!
Feeling like you’re ready to uncover the mindset blocks that have been holding you back in life and business?
If you’re like many of the creatives and entrepreneurs I work with, you’re feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by all the things you COULD be doing, without feeling like any ONE thing is really getting you the results you want. If you’re tired of spinning your wheels and are looking for strategic mindset coaching so you can find the clarity and focus you need to get out of your own way and to see more of the results you actually want, grab a time for my free Stressed to Success coaching call. During this 30-minute mindset and strategy session, I’ll help you uncover the mindset shift that will make the biggest difference for you, so you can start taking the RIGHT actions, consistently, and start saying “no” to the things that aren’t bringing in results. Head over to amandadennelly.com/freecall to grab one of the three spots I open up each week!
Tell me in the comments below:
What’s one money belief you held in the past that you’ve decided to flip the script on?
Photography by Jennifer Morgan Photography
