Why I’m Working On This Superpower Skill

I was one of those kids. The straight A student. Not exactly a teacher’s pet but always on time, homework done, acing the tests.

I was also chubby for most of my life and my mom kept on saying how I didn’t have willpower to exercise and eat better. I would start something (volleyball, swimming, track ... you name it) and I would quickly give it up.

Now that I’m looking back at some of these formative years of my life, what I’d say I didn’t have is a superpower skill that every successful business owner has – consistency.

Why Consistency?

You see, the lack of consistency didn’t impact my career too much. Because everything I did came naturally to me. I still had to learn and improve my skills, especially when I became a business analyst, but in general my curiosity, responsibility, and smarts made it easy.

Now that I’m a business owner, things are different. Marketing and sales don’t come naturally to me.

Did you know that I incorporated back in March of 2020 and in May I had a website which I think had something to do with women in tech?

Then, in 2021, when I got my first few clients, I think I switched towards leadership because I was working with managers and senior managers.

I tried productivity at some point. I think I switched back to women in tech and then leadership again. And, finally, last year, when I decided to quit the corporate contract and focus on the coaching and consulting entirely, I chose business coaching & consulting.

With all that switching and changing, you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that my marketing and sales efforts were not very successful.

You see, things take time. Every single mentor I’ve had shares how they did a year of webinars or something similar where no one shows up before they started seeing traction. But they kept on going. They didn’t go from one thing to another.

Intentional Consistency

To be fair, they didn’t just do the same thing hoping for different results. They learned along the way.

So, ultimately, what I’m working on these days is intentional consistency.

Last week I mentioned that I’m starting a webinar on building a business. I already did one test and learned something (boosted a post on LinkedIn with a $50 budget and got 0 leads). So, the next time a promote something, it will be with a proper campaign. Who knows, I might even test the two-step approach I learned about a few years ago with an awareness ad followed by consideration.

My point is that finding what works for your business takes experimentation and time. Yes, sometimes you have everything you need to create a successful campaign, but when you are starting you go through a lot of learning through trial and error.

And nowadays, in the Age of Uncertainty we operate in, we are all going through a lot of trials and errors because there’s no roadmap for what’s ahead. We need to create our own roadmaps. And being intentionally consistent is so key.

My results so far

OK, what follows has nothing to do with business but it proves how powerful consistency is.

Back in June this year, we came back from our monthly trip to US and I was 210 lbs! This was one of those moments that open your eyes. At least it was a moment that woke me up.

So, I started exercising. Running and working out (645 on BODi). Some days I would run a 5K (well, read this as jog/walk). Other days I would do a 645 workout followed by a short jog/walk. 6 days a week was the goal.

I also started paying attention to portion sizes and wine consumption.

Fast forward to today and I’m happily stuck at around 191 lbs! 20 pounds gone.

Granted, I didn’t exercise 6 days a week consistently but I was consistent most of the time.

Same with food and wine. I was consistent most of the time and I saw the results.

The business

The success with my weight loss journey made me think about my business. Why wasn’t I applying the same consistency to my business? What would happen when I become more consistent with my marketing efforts?

So, here I am, at the beginning of this journey for the business, and I already feel more aligned and excited for what’s ahead. And I don’t feel like I’m deceiving myself and that I should go back to corporate contracts.

No, I don’t have a full pipeline of prospects and leads, yet. I still work with a handful of clients which are all awesome. But I’m just starting. This is only week three of me writing blog posts consistently.

I just started planning the webinar for building a visionary business. And I’m about to run my first campaign in a couple of weeks.

I just resumed in-person networking and I’m about to start online networking.

So, while I don’t have the tangible results yet, I’m looking forward to the experience in the next few months.

Consistency vs. Adaptability

As I’m focusing on building the superpower skill of consistency I’m also thinking about that tension between following the path and pivoting.

AI is changing things so rapidly and with the unstable geopolitical environment, we all need to adapt and pivot quickly.

So, how do you reconcile the power of staying the course and being consistent with adapting to opportunities and changes?

Heck, I already changed something in my marketing efforts. Last week I was thinking of doing two webinars a month (one for Launch360 and one for Thrive360) but now I’m doing only one webinar and the rest of the ad budget will go towards PodMatch and me being a guest on podcasts.

So, how do I stay consistent and adapt at the same time?

Plan, do, review, adjust

The way I see it right now is that the word intentional is key in the whole process. Which brings me to one of my favorite frameworks of plan-do-review-adjust and my absolute favorite weekly review session.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that setting a goal or a hypothesis, doing the work, reviewing the results, and then adjusting is the way to go.

As I mentioned, I’m about to start my webinar campaign. I’ll be happy if I get leads with the first campaign but if I don’t this is not the end. I’ll set another hypothesis and adjust the second time. Gradually, I’ll find what works and what doesn’t. I’ll figure out things to change and things to keep or double down on.

Is the webinar the right approach for me, my business, and my ideal clients?

I don’t know. It might be. But that’s why I’m determined to stay intentionally consistent with it.

Should be relatively easy for me because I love numbers. Give me data and numbers and time just flies by.

So, the way I see it, the plan-do-review-adjust process will help me see what and when to pivot.

Keep the core, change the rest

The second idea that has been floating in my mind is a bit harder to articulate right now but I’m sure I’ll figure it out.

When it comes to staying consistent while pivoting, Jim Collins has the answer in “Built to Last” - to thrive for centuries, preserve the core and change everything else. Btw, if you haven’t read this book yet, grab it now. It’s a must read for every business owner and I’d recommend it to everyone actually. A bit off topic but I’ve been thinking that the ideas about corporations that thrive for decades and even centuries are applicable to countries and some of the erosion of the west is because we broke the core.

Now, back to the topic at hand. While consistency is key for success in business, and any other area of life, adaptability is even more vital in some ways.

My weight loss journey is a great example. It started very well and then I hit a plateau which is perfectly normal and expected. If I want to break the 190 lbs barrier, I need to change things. And the thing is that I don’t need to change things drastically. When it comes to weight loss, there are three fundamental parts – what you eat, what you drink, and how much you move. So, while I change maybe the time of my workout or some of the food I eat, I still need to be consistently exercising, eating properly, and limiting the chef juice.

As for the business, I’m not too focused on the adaptability and change at the moment. I barely started blogging and promoting my webinar. What I’m planning to do, though, is revisit “Built to Last.” Rinse and repeat is always a great approach for good books and courses.

I’m actually trying to avoid something very dangerous about pivoting right now.

Shiny objects

Shiny objects are all these nice things you see out there that distract you from the path you charted for yourself and your business.

“I don’t do sales calls. Follow my process and you’ll have no sales calls and still bring thousands of dollars a month.”

“Create a group. This is the only way. You only need to do one live a week and you’ll have a full pipeline.”

The list goes on and on. There’s always another idea. A new and better way that someone has figured out.

Here’s the thing. Many of these approaches work when given enough time and done properly.

So, as I’m working on my intentional consistency with the business, I’m trying very hard to not get distracted by a shiny object, especially in the early days when my new funnel doesn’t have the traction I want.

More than a note on the wall

It’s funny. I think I had consistency and consistent improvement as my word/phrase of the year for two or three consecutive years. And it remained just that – a word on the wall (on a sticky note on the wall, to be precise).

This year is different though. And it all started with my workouts and eating and drinking habits.

So, if consistency is a skill you need to work on, you don’t have to start with the business. Developing consistency in one area of your life will help you with consistency in all other areas.

Here comes motivation

Ok, last thoughts for this week, I promise. But this one is really powerful.

Do you know how science says that what motivates us and makes us happy is seeing evidence of progress?

Well, intentional consistency is what creates the progress!

I wouldn’t have lost 20 pounds if I was not intentionally consistent with my workouts, meals, and limiting wine.

So, if you are still on the fence of why you should develop the skill of consistency, this is your sign. Once you start doing something consistently, the results show up. And when you see the results, you get even more motivated to continue (virtuous cycle, anyone). And when you are motivated, you are hopeful for the future and you feel happier.

Isn’t this awesome?