There’s a lot of useful information available about examining and reshaping your money beliefs. But at the end of the day, you must make money to live, regardless of your beliefs about it. That part is non-negotiable. What is up for negotiation is your perception and mindset when it comes to money. And, it’s these very perceptions that can make this process gratingly difficult or easy and effortless. You may feel uncomfortable talking about money from time to time. You may even struggle to put a price on what you know. But ultimately, changing your mindset about money can vastly impact your relationship with money as an entrepreneur.
Read on to choose which money mindset you’d prefer to operate from and get tips from money mindset coach and expert Kiersten Brown.
Reframe your beliefs around money
It’s common to see the idea of making money as strenuous labor. This is especially the case for course creators and entrepreneurs. Sure, you believe you can be wildly successful, but what do you believe it takes to get you there?
Read the statements below and observe how much you agree with each on a scale of one to five.
- “My course will be a success, but I have to hustle on nights and the weekend to make that happen.”
- “I know I can make a lot of money through my online school, but it means I’ll have to be chained to my computer.”
- “I think I can make six figures just through my online courses, but it’s going to take a really long time before that happens.”
It’s OK to see the validity in the above statements. The issue becomes when you believe them to be true without fault. All of these statements contain an element of hustle and hard work (which is needed at times). But what they’re lacking is room for ease. They leave no space for an “easy” button, or for things to unfold better than you could have originally imagined.
Expert Kiersten Brown recommends instead reframing your beliefs to center around value, audience, and enjoyment of the process. Break the habit of associating making money with difficult or negative thoughts by embracing the processes of entrepreneurship.
1. Evaluate the value of your offer
“People will pay for something that is going to make their life easier or help them solve a problem,” Brown says. “As a creator, our work focuses on that.”
It’s crucial to stay in touch with the value of the service you’re providing and to have prices that reflect that. Think of the value you’re providing to students via your products. If this is an area you know you may undervalue yourself, double whatever value you think you’re providing in the first place. Look at your prices and raise them if that feels in integrity. It’s OK to do so.
Brown points out this can enable you to not only make more money, but to also create space from that hustle mentality. “When you provide customers or clients with exactly what they need, the process of doing the work and getting paid [what you deserve] becomes easier,” she explains.
2. Speak to your people
“You’re not going to sell a steak to vegetarians,” Brown says. “You can have the best product or service in the world, but if you’re selling to the wrong people, it’s not going to work.”
And when things aren’t working, it’s likely your mind will jump to a place of working harder instead of evaluating how you can work smarter. Connecting with your ideal client is essential in this process.
If you find that beliefs around “this is hard!” start to creep in, stop and look at who you’re talking to. Ensure that your message and offerings are crystal clear. And remember that you’re providing a service that’s helping someone on some level. Instead of making it about you and how mundane or challenging the process is for you, reframe that to the fact that you’re showing up because the work you’re doing is going to help someone in the long run.
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3. Observe enjoyment
“One of the reasons why you are a creator is because you love to create,” states Brown. “Find joy in the process and don’t get caught up miserably doing the tasks that you don’t want to do. Focus on creating, and get support where you can for all the work that needs to be done in between.”
Sure, there are parts of business that you won’t be thrilled to do. But if it really drains you to figure out the tech side of things or keep up with schedule-related emails, then make those processes as enjoyable as possible. Put on relaxing music or save those tasks for a Friday morning at your favorite coffee shop. Depending on where in your business journey you are, you could even hire a virtual assistant—many of them are surprisingly affordable, and you can hire them for only a few hours a week to help out.
4. Accept money with ease
Feel connected
Think about it: How many times have you refused something when it was offered to you? It could have been money, support, a helping hand. Even though it would have been helpful to receive, you said no to avoid seeming needy, greedy, or reliant.
This mindset of being closed to receiving could also be because you did work that felt easy to you and there was guilt that came up around accepting payment. Perhaps it just “felt wrong” to receive money for that particular thing.
You get to shift to a mindset of receiving with gratitude. If someone offers you something, you get to say yes, thank you, instead of no, followed by the reason why you don’t deserve what’s being offered. According to Brown, this can extend to any situation surrounding money. “Money is simply a reflection of how someone values your work,” she explains. “If someone values your work or even just your mere presence, let them pay you.”
Do what authentically lights you up
“When you try to do work that is inauthentic to you is when the work feels difficult and heavy,” Brown adds. Sure, there will be parts of any business that you don’t love. But the main purpose of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it should make you feel bright and excited.
Notice if this isn’t the case for you, or if how you feel about your work has changed over time. This is an indicator that you either need to get back in touch with your “why” or shift what you’re doing. “The work that you’re meant to do comes naturally and with ease,” Brown says. “If it feels forced, let it go. Find your flow.”
The most important part of making money with more ease starts with noticing your mindset, specifically your mindset about money. You should feel confident putting a price on what you know because your skills are powerful and in the long run, they will help others grow and feel empowered too. Remember: Changing your money mindset is a process that takes practice, so keep going.
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