This year has been a breakout year for business. June was the first month that I invoiced clients for close to five figures worth of work. Billing for this much in one month feels like a landmark in my career because it’s been a long time coming.
The exciting part about the business growth is it didn’t come from changing my business model remarkably or selling my first born child. I’m still a freelance writer. I still do a bit of coaching and selling of information products on top of the writing.
The increase came from doubling down on what’s been working in my business and improving my mindset. Here are a few affirmations I say to myself that have helped me crush it this year so far:
“It’s not hard for me to earn money.”
I’ve always assumed people had to work hard for every dollar. This mindset followed me from my teenage years all the way up to adulthood. Earning money “easily” didn’t feel honorable.
When I started my business, I priced my services in a way that I had to take on tons of clients to make a living. I was continually overextending myself to be a “hardworking woman” only to run myself into the ground.
To increase your income, you have to believe that money is available all around you for the taking. You don’t need to be perfect to earn it. You don’t need to do crazy amounts of work. Prove your worth and charge a proper price.
“Act like a six-figure business owner because it’s right around the corner.”
Six-figures is the elusive number that people try to hit with their business. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m thankful to be active in communities with entrepeneurs that earn beyond six-figures. From rubbing shoulders with them, I’ve learned six-figure and multiple six-figure earners have a different attitude.
Top earners have systems and procedures in place to accommodate the workload of a large business. They are professional, confident, and deliberate in their actions. They have bookkeeping systems and an accountant to assist with business decisions. They’re constantly learning. They may feel like an imposter at times but they push through fears to experiment with new business ventures. They’re always consistent in their efforts.
I wasn’t being the person above when I had trouble with income plateaus. Now I make a point to act like the person who runs the type of business I want to build. At times it’s uncomfortable, but you have to change behaviors and attitudes to see a change in your bottom line.
“I will earn back money that I spend.”
The way you spend money impacts how you earn money.
I had to address the hard truth after reading self-development and mindset books that I had a deep fear of spending money. I was worried that the money I spent would never come back to me, so I budgeted like crazy and hardly invested in myself or my business.
These fears cause a scarcity mindset. You think money and opportunities are scarce, so you squander cash and don’t see there are opportunities all around you. Again, these fears can cause you to charge too little for your services. If you’re cheap, you’ll worry clients are cheap as well.
It is okay to spend money from time to time within reason. You will earn it back.
Reading, working with coaches, and gaining business experience has helped me get to this point. But above all, mindset is everything. If you don’t have the right attitude, no amount of knowledge will take you to the next step.
The next challenge is keeping my income consistent, and it’s one that I’m facing head on!
