Aside from having a great product or service, a sustainable business must understand it's core mission and values. When I first studied what a Mission, Vision and Values were it was all too much around defining the concepts rather than a full understanding of what they truly meant for me and my business. I spent the first three years, defining and redifining what they were and yet I didn't feel very connected to what I was writing. It was as it was an exercise I knew I had to do, but didn't truly understand how to complete it and practically use.
Then one day someone I came across that was running a training said these key words: What is the experience you want your clients to have when they have worked with you? They stated what theirs was and it got me thinking what mine was. I then was able to very quickly determine my 3 key words that I stand for in my business and the experience I provide. What I also believe is that not only is it about what our clients experience when they work with us, but what is that we want to experience running our business and dealing with other that provide a product or service to us. All these 3 aspects are closely linked.
So I came up with my 3 F Words:
FUN FAST & FAME underpined by FAMILY
Let me explain how it all ties in together:
1. FUN - I love to travel, go to lots of events, network, organise my own events social and business and be the centre of attention. I have built my dream business around running tons of events and retreats. I get to speak a lot in front of people and I get to offer an experience of Fun my clients remember for life. I get to experience it, I know my clients get to experience it and with anyone I consider to do a strategic alliance or some kind of work, unless they can show me it will be fun and easygoing I won't choose to go ahead with them
2. FAST - some have renamed me Quick Nat - I know at the end of every day I want to have returned all messages, emails and phone calls. I think of something and make it happen in an instant. I write books on a whim and my program is Ultimate 48 Hour Author. I am impatient and want things yesterday. I have been able to fasttrack the authoring process by 20 times what it normally takes people to bring out a book.
I have no time to waste worrying what people will think and I don't worry about Perfectionism, I am focussed on Progress. I offer this experience to my clients and I expect it in return from my providers. Those that don't quote me in 24-48 hours are out, those that take ages to come back to me are also out and those that don't bother to respond I've forgotten about them and have most likely already hired someone and am deep into solving my problem.
3. FAME - my personal brand has grown exponentially since I began in business. I always looks for ways to stand out where it be through having authored my 7 books, speaking at 100 events this year (up to 44 so far), creating my own community on Facebook that is at 12 000 members, going out networking minimum twice a week, sponsoring big events and doing 5-6 videos every week, I am building omnipresence around what I do and who I am.
I get to experience Fame in my network as a result and through assisting my clients in becoming authors in just 48 hours, I teach and translate that through my training and strategies so they too can establish themselves as authorities within their niche and experience success they never dreamt of. I like to experience Fame and so do my clients once they are holding their books. When I make decisions on hiring someone, I tend to also weigh up if that person will help me achieve more Fame through working with them.
My last one is FAMILY and it truly underpins how I want to be with my community and how I accept them in my world. I run all my Melbourne events at our home usually for intimate groups between 8-12 people. We have an awesome training area, we feed people, welcome them and hang out in a chilled out way far from the corporate spaces I usually have to hold my events in interstate.
I often have some of my interstate authors come over and sleep the night before retreat because they travel from places like Perth and its not really about me saving them money, its about the closeness, bond and relationship I develop with them. I feel that through our connection well beyond them completing a retreat with me and often I get hosted in the other cities and get to catch up for meals and get help with crewing at my interstate events. Its warm, it feels like family and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I don't have much family here in Australia, my mum and my husband, kids and father and mother in law. I miss my aunties, cousins and bigger family so instead I have re-created that for myself here with my authors. Sharing the experience of helping someon write their first book is super special and I feel a bond always with those people. I appreciate those that also treat me as family and make me feel relaxed when I am working with them.
So there you go, I know am 100% clear on my values in my business. What is it that you would like to experience in your business and have your clients experience with you? Can you think of your three words?
Love Nat x
