George Kao's Blog, page 36

Get unstuck by asking smaller questions

Have you delayed your business progress, or felt stuck, because of big questions such as:

“What is my niche?”“Who is my ideal client?”“What should my offering be?”“What’s my marketing message?”“What’s my Calling in life?!”
These questions carry a finality that can overwhelm. It’s like once you answer it, you lose your flexibility. “The decision would affect so many little things!” you say. No wonder we procrastinate before moving on such an important question. It can keep us stuck for years.Man...

Succeeding as a Perceiver Entrepreneur in a Judger World

Are you a “perceiver” or a “judger”? 

Can you guess what I am?

Entrepreneurs tend to be Perceivers, according to a 2017 study by the company that publishes the famous Myers-Briggs Type Indicator… which is where the perceiver/judger dichotomy comes from.

In this article I'll summarize what I've learned about Perceivers and Judgers, and talk about how each type's strengths are needed in business.Perceiver Characteristics

Perceivers are curious, creative, love to gather information, tend to work ind...

Is it a good idea to "Charge what you're worth"?

Have you heard that you should “Charge what you’re worth?”... that in your pricing, you should “claim” or “stand up for your value”?

What does that really mean?

How much is your value… how much are you worth anyway? $25/hour? $150/hour? $500/hour? $10,000/hour?

Does this mean that people who charge more are worth more? Words matter. It shapes how we see other people and ourselves. Connecting fee structures to "worth" sets up a deeply unhealthy comparison.

Are you worth more than someone who charg...

To build a new audience, just keep publishing!

I’ve done 5 months in my side business, working on it for only 2 hours per week, focused on audience building.

There’s now been 2,400 people who have engaged with my content on my secret Facebook page. I don’t even have a website or mailing list yet, but I can always reach those same 2,400 people again using Facebook ads’ “custom audience” feature ("Everyone who has engaged with your page.")

I’ve now spent about $1,000 in Facebook Ads for this new business, or approx $200 per month. All of it h...

Your outreach is not a bother. It is a blessing.

As one of my readers, you are probably a giver. You are used to giving support to others, but not accustomed to reaching out when you have a product or service.

If you feel shy about this, know that it is normal. It’s not your natural style to ask people for help, so neither is it comfortable for you to contact your network about your offerings.

See if this reframe is helpful to you:

You aren’t asking them for a favor. 

You are giving them the chance to receive help for their needs -- if they are...

The Most Secure Investment

One of my clients was concerned about her financial future. As an entrepreneur now, instead of working for an organization, she’s no longer building up her pension. Now it’s up to her to create her own retirement plan.

This is making her susceptible to the hype of marketers who are promising 7 figure incomes. Maybe some of you can relate.

I say it all the time -- be wary of signing up for any program that tempts you with high income possibilities. They’re usually expensive, and are often a bad...

To get attention authentically, care more than others do...

In marketing it is assumed that the goal, the daily effort, is to get more views, more followers, more sales.... always wanting other people to do more of what  we  want them to do.

In other words, conventional marketing is deeply self-centered, which stems from either insecurity, or ego.
 
“If I don’t strive to get my share of attention, I won’t be able to survive or shine!” 

The result is the proliferation of questionable marketing strategies and pushy sales tactics, that aim to “grab” more audie...

To get attention authentically, care more than others do...

To get attention authentically, demonstrate your care...

In marketing it is assumed that the goal, the daily effort, is to get more views, more followers, more sales.... always wanting other people to do more of what we want them to do. Conventional marketing is very self-centered. “If I don’t strive to get my share of attention, I won’t be able to survive!” The result is the proliferation of questionable marketing strategies and pushy sales tactics, that aim to “grab” audience attention ...

Simple Action Plan to Grow an Authentic Business

I’ve written a lot about the overall strategies needed to grow one’s authentic business audience and clientele. But what about actual, regular actions? In this post, I provide a few questions to guide you.

Let’s start with the most important question. It’s not “what’s your niche?” or “have you set up your email list?” 

In fact, in my new side business that I started in July, I don’t even have a website, clarified niche, or services yet. All I have done is created content consistently, enough to...

Announcing the 2019 MasterHeart Authentic Business Community

I love facilitating my client community. We start in January each year and grow together throughout the 12 months, forming new friendships, referral partnerships, and accountability buddies.

Via regular group calls and occasional 1-1 meetings with me, each client receives my personalized guidance for them as they build their authentic business, in addition to enjoying the resources and camaraderie of the group. 

The community is called MasterHeart, and the application for the 2019 group is offi...