Sweet friend, let me share with you a little secret. Running an authentic, creative business is hard work. Okay, that might not be a secret after all, but for all my tenacious, big-hearted creatives out there I want to encourage and remind you how wonderful every season of being a business owner truly is.

Six years ago, I took the leap and started this little business of mine. Looking back over the years, I’ve navigated my fair share of struggles and triumphs. I had days where I was ready to close up shop, followed with many days of celebratory margaritas with my sweet husband. I had slow booking seasons (cue the feelings of panic) to seasons filled with sweet ideal clients (cue all the boss lady feels)!

At times I wonder, if I would have known then what I know now, maybe I wouldn’t have wasted the time and energy it took to learn so many important lessons over the past six years. But I’ve also come to realize, that sometimes our past experiences (both struggles and triumphs) happen so that we can pass along our wisdom to others. Which is why I love partnering 1:1 with creatives just like you through my mentoring approach!

Today, I am sharing the most common mistakes I see during the booking dead zone season and how I walk alongside my sweet mentoring clients to up-level their services and brand. Because maybe you’re in a season where the inquiries just aren’t there, the panic is settling in, and you’re desperate for a way out. And, I promise you, it doesn’t have to be that way, friend!

MISTAKE #1 – THE VALUE ISN’T CLEAR

This is hands-down the most common issue I see when my mentoring clients tell me they’re struggling to get their ideal clients to invest in their work. It’s not because the value isn’t there, it’s simply because the values isn’t communicated clearly! Your sweet ideal clients have no idea what’s truly in it for them if they hire you.

So how do we share our value in a way that makes our ideal clients want to know more?

When marketing your work, what you offer and how it fills a need (your value proposition) should come shining through every time! It’s only when we don’t educate our potential clients about how our work fits into their lives that they struggle to understand why they should even hire us in the first place.

MISTAKE #2 – THE PRICING IS WAY OFF

There are two ends to this pricing spectrum – either your pricing is too high or it’s too low. If you find potential clients are running for the door the second you share your pricing with them, that tells me your pricing is perceived as too high for the value you’re sharing.

On the flip side, if you’re booking every single client that walks through your door, that makes me question whether your pricing is on point. If clients perceive your pricing as too low, they will treat you accordingly. Which means they’ll often not value your time, the amount of talent and work you’re pouring into a project, or they’ll make crazy demands to try to get even more out of you.

Ideally, we want your clients to think, “This is an investment (one that’s not too high or too low), but she’s worth it so I’ll gladly bite the bullet and make this work!”

MISTAKE #3 YOU’RE TARGETING THE WRONG CLIENTS

Do you find that you frequently receive inquiries from clients who are less-than-ideal? That tells me that something about the copy on your website or the experience you’re offering just isn’t quite drawing in the right crowd! And whether you realize it or not, your message just isn’t resonating with the right types of clients.

Okay, so you’re probably sitting on the other side of your computer screen groaning internally that you totally identify with one (or maybe even all three) of these mistakes that pop up in booking dead zone. Well, from the past six years of struggles and triumphs, I’m here to guide you out of this conundrum, friend!

Here are my solutions I guide my own 1:1 mentoring clients through as we solve these common mistakes within their businesses:

• Know what your time is worth
• Identify how your service adds value or solves a problem for clients and then communicate that through sales copy!
• Create an experience and build your services around that idea
• Be strategic about who you’re targeting (create offerings that will resonate with your dream clients)

I don’t want you to waste time and energy feeling like you have to do more and work harder to take your business to heartfelt new heights. Rather, I want to show you what I’ve learned over the years to build my most authentic business yet.

If you’re looking for someone who has already been there to walk alongside you as you up-level your business, I’d love to chat with you to see if 1:1 mentoring could be just what you need! Head here to learn more about working together!