Finola Howard 0:01
I'm Finola Howard, Business Growth strategist with a joyful heart and your host of the your truth shared podcast. I believe that every business has a story to tell, because that's how the market decides whether to buy or not, and your story has to resonate with who you are and with the people you want to serve, and this podcast is about helping you reach the market in a way that feels right to you. So if you're an entrepreneur with a dream you want to make real, then this is the podcast for you, because great marketing is your truth shared today, I want to talk to you about what really makes business growth happen?
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After 26 years in business, I've seen beyond the surface level answers, hustle the hard work, the overnight successes, and into the patterns that make sustainable, aligned and profitable growth, not just possible, but predictable. And yes, I'll share with you how I've distilled all of that into soar, my business growth program. But even if you never join, you will walk away with powerful shifts that you can apply to your own business growth right now. So let's get into the five big shifts that make real success happen. Okay? Part one, the map always smooths the journey.
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You can't be in business for as long as I have, through.com bubbles, recessions, booms, pivots, burnout, breakthroughs, and not see the patterns. Patterns in how people get stuck. Patterns in what unlocks the next stage, patterns in what makes growth sustainable. And here's the truth, once you can see the pattern, you can map the journey, and once you have a map, you get to move faster with less confusion and more confidence. I've said it for years. I've mapped the entrepreneurial journey so you don't have to
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that map. The one I teach inside soar has three main parts, purpose, and you've heard me speak about purpose many times on this podcast, but it's what success really looks like for you, not what you think you should want, but what you actually want to create, and then build something that can make a difference in the world and also to you, it's got to be framed, tangibly and measurably, or it's just fluff.
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The next step is the next part of this is positioning, choosing the right customer, the right product for that customer, and the right message, and connecting them all together practically, coherently and logically so you're not building in fragments.
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Third part is profit, purpose positioning profit, making money in a way that fits who you are and the people you serve, without chasing trends or burning out. That's about the right product for the right customer, priced in a way that makes sense for both of you, and when you have that map, everything changes. Part two,
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feedback fuels focus. All the entrepreneurial start studies talk about how lonely the entrepreneurial journey is, and yes, there is that sense that the only people who can truly understand where you are is other entrepreneurs. But we don't stop being the other aspects of ourselves just because we're entrepreneurs. We are still mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends. We are still people who are in your book club, who still go to the gym, swim in the sea, watch the same Netflix folks. So we do have friends. We're not necessarily lonely in that context. The deeper truth is that the incessant decision making is lonely. That's really what's not talked about enough, how often entrepreneurs second guess themselves, and how that can impact how direct your route to success is how plentiful the ideas are for growing your business, but how choosing the right ones can be such a head wreck. And those ideas don't just come from your own head. They come from all around you. Free Advice is freely given, but it doesn't mean it's what you need right now, I've seen so many entrepreneurs be over consulted, over advised, opinions offered way too freely, and still the right decisions are not made. And the reason this happens is that the input is fragmented. You're not seeing the business as a whole and tuning in to what will make everything, and I mean everything.
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Work cohesively together. So you come to the marketplace from a position of strength and cohesion, the decisions that need to be made are around that cohesion, and that's about taking it one step at a time. So when I say that it's critical to get the right advice at the right time, it's because it has to be from a big picture perspective, but focused in on the specifics of that stage that you are at in your journey. And that's why in soar, we meet weekly, not to overwhelm you, but to support the rhythm of real business growth. Some weeks it's a get it done style session. Some weeks it's about testing ideas. Some weeks it's a market pulse check. But always it's feedback from me, from the group, from the challenges that I set that push you toward milestones that matter to your business growth. Here's an example for you in the current soar cohort, one participant was concerned with cash flow, the business hit one of those roller coaster troughs that every entrepreneur is familiar with. You know those moments, one day, it's high and you're flush because everyone just paid you. The next it's low, because you have to start seeking new clients again and start the whole process over again. So in this scenario, we focused on one customer type with one product, and then lent into that to not only drive sales in today, which it did, but she also used it to hone that offering so that it could continue to be harvested and perfected in the future. It fixed her cash flow today, but also created the seeds for a more predictable future, one that was coherent with what she wanted to achieve in her business. So when you get consistent, strategic feedback, you move forward faster. You build trust in yourself. You get out of decision fatigue, and you start to see your business more clearly than ever before.
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Part three, experts and AI, no more. Starting from scratch.
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You don't need to do everything yourself. One of the biggest ways I've seen entrepreneurs stall is by trying to become an expert in everything, like social media, analytics, copywriting, funnels, SEO strategy,
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inside soar, I've plugged in the right experts at the right time on our journey together, people like Karen McCarthy, who'll show you how to bring the buyer journey into Your social media so you can convert at scale. Amanda Webb, who'll help you make sense of Google Analytics so you can track what's really happening in your business, what's really converting and why it is or isn't. Sally Murphy, who will teach you about storytelling and how to map your signature talk. Vicky Schilling, who will help you build rock solid belief in yourself and your ability to succeed. There are others too that I'll plug in when they are needed, but that is determined by each soar cohort and the needs of that cohort.
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We also plug in technology, especially AI, in a very strategic way, not just to automate, but to amplify, to help you hone your voice, sharpen your messaging craft, copy that actually converts and reflects you.
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AI becomes your collaborator on this journey, not just your crutch. Part Four,
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the power of a thinking partner. I've always said one of the most valuable things I offer my clients is thinking time, time to think with someone who holds your vision when perhaps you can't who can see the bigger picture when you're too deep in the weeds, who knows where you are on the map and what comes next. And that's what I do, and it's what the SOAR community does too. You are not doing this alone. Here's an example of this in action, actually, several examples. There are times on the journey when the battle to hone your difference is downright overwhelming. At other times, it teases you to think bigger and be bigger, but you're not quite sure if you're ready for that. Those are the times when I really step in to show you what's possible, or, to simplify, what's just getting too much. This has taken many forms in the SOAR program. One that comes to mind is when a deeply held opinion, a passionate opinion, I would say, was starting to leak into one participant's conversation in the group, but it wasn't actually being translated or shared in her business or in her marketing and her messaging. So it was my role here to hold up the mirror so she could see the potential of leaning into this perspective shift that she could bring and ultimately help her own.
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Her space.
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The fear, normal fear, was about whether she really wanted to own that space, even though she was particularly passionate about it, we worked through it and through it and through it,
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and by doing that, she decided to leap. And she's totally reaping the benefits of that decision now, and it was her decision. All the decisions you make about your business are your decisions, because you're the one that has to live with the consequences of those decisions. My role is to show you what's helpful, what's possible, and to help you choose what fits you and your business growth.
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Part Five. This is soar, and it works. SOAR is a 12 month business growth system I've designed to do one thing help you achieve a significant leap in your business and in how you think about your business. It's been tested in masterminds, in in person, programs, one to one strategy days, and it works here and all over the world. And
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here's what you'll get inside a clear, tested map to guide your growth, weekly momentum and feedback, expert sessions tailored to your stage in your growth journey, AI tools to accelerate your voice and your clarity and so much more. And a thinking partner me who's with you every step of the way, it's accessible, it's affordable, and it will not be at this price again. And maybe most importantly, you'll be surrounded by entrepreneurs who want to play at your level, who are building something that matters, just like you.
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So the truth is, you already have what it takes, but growth becomes so much easier when you've got a map, a rhythm, a community, and someone who sees the bigger picture with you. That's what SOAR is. And if you're ready to grow your business in a more connected, courageous and strategic way, I'd love to walk that path with you. Doors for this cohort close on July 17, and you can head to the show notes for the link or DM me the word soar, s, O, A, R on your preferred social media platform, and I'll send you all the details. Thank you for listening to your truth shared. If this episode resonated, please rate and review it on your podcast app. It truly helps other people find us until next time, keep growing your way you
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