Three questions to ask yourself to hit that first $20k month
If nobody has told you lately, that future version of yourself that you spend hours upon hours dreaming about can become your reality—probably way faster than you might think.
You know the version…
The one you envision sitting on a balcony, sipping Chardonnay, watching the sun sink behind cotton candy clouds without a worry about where the next client is coming from.
The version of you that has left her draining 9-5 career in finance or design or marketing behind to replace it with a self-run business that brings in triple what her old paychecks were and doesn't need to ask for a day off when she wants it.
That version is Future You. You can become her by cultivating the mindset to take more of the right actions in your business—and despite what you may believe right now, it’s likely closer than you think.
When my Future You client, Carly, came to me in 2020, she was juggling the responsibilities of her corporate design job in New York City while spending every waking moment outside the office walls building her branding and website design business.
Carly's future self was:
✨ taking her business full-time
✨ pursuing her passion for helping other changemakers get their businesses off the ground
✨ matching (and surpassing) her corporate income
✨ traveling across Latin America without being glued to her laptop for 8+ hours a day
She had a clear picture of what she wanted her future to look like. However, she didn't have a clear path that would help her knock on her boss's door to have "the 2-week talk".
She had all of the ingredients to make her business work; the motivation, the drive, and the discipline. But there were still pieces of her business plan puzzle that weren't fitting. AND she was basically working two jobs.
Carly knew there was no way this would be sustainable, and she needed to figure out how to surpass her corporate income so she could kiss her old lifestyle goodbye once and for all.
She came up with many valuable offers, from client projects to courses to digital offers, to reach her income goal, but at the end of the day, she was burnt TF out from spinning her wheels.
When we began working together, we stirred up some pretty profound realizations that were leading her to feel stuck.
After a few significant sales mindset and strategy shifts, she was making enough in her business to have that exciting (yet stretchy 😅) 2-week talk with her boss and is now running her full-time business with a steady stream of clients that she feels good serving.
Not only that, but she hit her first $20k month. I mean… 🤯🎉💖
And yes, she had the opportunity to travel Latin America with other amazing people who are working remotely and living the same lifestyle of freedom that she is.
Carly is the perfect example of how powerful sales mindset shifts are in building the future you so desperately want AND deserve.
Here are three powerful questions you can ask yourself to hit that first $20k month so you can make those mindset shifts, too, and hop on your fastest track to Future You.
How would I be showing up if I knew I'd get the result that I want?
This is an extremely powerful question to ask yourself because it will help you determine if you need to shift your mindset or your actions to become Future You faster.
Take a moment to think about what you really want right now.
Do you want to land a dreamy client who feels really good to work with rather than one who keeps you up at night with yet another design tweak?
Do you want to finally hit that five-figure income after months and months of being stuck at $5k?
Do you want to easily show up on your Instagram stories and worry less about your bad hair day that nobody is going to notice anyway? Side note: I promise, we've all been there, and we care way more about what you have to say!
Once you figure out what the result you truly want is, ask yourself how you would be showing up if you had already reached it.
How would you be preparing to land your next client once you land your next client?
How would $10k or $20k cash months affect how you show up for your current audience?
What would you gain from posting consistent Reels for people waiting to halt their scroll to hear from you (and maybe get the behind-the-scenes scoop on your latest travel destination)?
As you explore what Future You will be doing, it will become clear whether what you need is actually a sales mindset shift or a sales action shift. Are your beliefs holding you back from the results you want, or is your strategy keeping you stagnant?
You may be thinking that if you signed your next client, you’d be showing up regularly on your Instagram stories. You'd be sharing more consistently why your offer is exactly what your audience needs to feel good about their business, their health, their relationship, etc. In that case, you need to shift your sales actions to show up more often.
You may be thinking that if you signed your next client, you'd believe your content is working much better than it feels at this moment. You'd feel confident that you're connecting with the right people who are excited to work with you. You’d feel a lot more trusting of the process of building your business. Because you’re not looking to shift the action itself (sharing content) but rather the feeling behind the action, you’d benefit most from shifting your sales mindset.
Try journaling around this question and explore what comes up. This may just be the breakthrough you’ve been waiting for to help you step into Future You now so the results you want can come that much quicker.
What is the shortest and easiest path to the result I want?
It's totally normal to feel like there is a lot of spinout happening when you're trying to figure out how to get the result you want. What I mean by that is: you're thinking about more and more ways to reach that result by doing more and more.
I want you to hit the brakes and ask yourself this: By doing more to reach those results, are you still honoring the life and business you actually want?
Yes, you want to reach your first $10k income goal. However, you also want a life that doesn't require a 40+ hour work week but instead includes soaking in your hot tub on a random afternoon or hitting the grand opening of that new winery in town without guilt that you need to be showing up for your business (I know that isn’t just me 😜).
So many times, my clients have come to me wanting to reach that next juicy income goal with a list of more. More offers. More opt-ins. More freebies and workshops. But with that comes more work and a never-ending to-do list filled with client support and social media engagement and launch planning and creation, and . . . MORE.
What if, instead, you took fewer actions to get the results you want?
What would happen if you offered an intensive for $1,000 instead of a course for $100? You would only need to sell 10 of those intensives to reach your $10k goal rather than sell an overwhelming 100 courses!
Future You deserves the simplest path to scaling. So rather than adding more things to your plate, ask yourself: How can you go deeper on the actions you’re already taking and see even better results from them?
The shortest and easiest path to the result you want will allow you to become the person who hits that next income goal, sells with ease, lands aligned clients, and feels really, really good in their business and life.
How can I enjoy the process of working toward the result I want?
It can be so easy to become hyper-focused on your business, even when it's past your office hours.
You'll be strolling through Target looking for your date-night outfit while absentmindedly planning your next Reel on Instagram. It happens, and I'm totally speaking from experience. Hubby has had to snap me out of my launch-planning trance and redirect me to the freshly grilled salmon dinner he made on more than one occasion. 😅
It can be easy to forget that there is so much more to think about and have fun with in life than just your business when you're so head down in it.
So here’s the shift…
Think about what you can do outside of your business to have fun. For example, have you always wanted to pick up crocheting? Have you been dying to watch Bridgerton on Netflix? Is there a novel on the bestsellers list right now that's been calling your name?
It doesn’t have to be extravagant or complicated. I have a client who loves to wrap up her day by soaking in her inflatable pool with a glass of vino and a steamy romance novel—and I fully support it. Whatever your idea of fun is, give yourself permission to have it outside of your business.
But the fun shouldn't stop when you go into business mode. How can you spark more enjoyment to your business tasks? Would working outside while the afternoon sunshine hits your face excite you? Would the smell of freshly brewed lattes, dim lighting, and moody coffee shop music add a little spice to your tasks?
When you find ways to work that feels good, you start to see better sales results overall because you get to show up from a different energy that stems from fulfillment.
When you're enjoying life more, results in your business seem to happen faster because you're not starting at a metaphorical pot waiting for the water to boil. Instead, you're taking in the magic of an afternoon paddle-boarding adventure while inquiries flow in and clients sign up to work with you.
Having fun in life will allow you to stick with your business and the sales actions you need to sustain it long-term because you'll enjoy the ride from all angles. Remember, the more fun you have, the more money you make.
The Bottom Line
Hitting that first $20k month has a whole lot more to do with who you’re BEING on the path to that income goal than the cash itself.
Asking yourself these three questions is only the beginning of the mindset work that will help you simplify the path to scaling your business so you can step into Future You faster.
If you're ready to shift your mindset around sales and take the simplest path to more clients and cash be sure to join me for a free Sincere Sales coaching call.
During this free 30-minute session, we'll identify your biggest opportunity to shift your mindset so you can sell your services with more ease (because, trust me, if you're not getting the clients you want, your mindset is playing a part!) and what you can do to see bigger business results!
Share with me in the comments:
Which question will you be journaling about from the list above? Bonus points if it’s all three! 😉
