The Get Un-Stuck Gal

Who is Heather Doering, and Why Should I Listen to Her?

Heather has owned and blossomed small businesses for over 20 years, mentoring women entrepreneurs. Her degree in Psychology, from Michigan State University, brings a unique perspective to growing small businesses: they are as unique as people, requiring individualized branding and marketing. Traditional marketing takes a cookie cutter approach, which is often costly and ineffective. Heather delves into the personality of the business and explores the best, most cost-effective options to touch new clients and instill insane loyalty in existing ones.

Before launching Ace in the Hole Branding, Heather honed her skills in the direct sales industry, winning numerous awards, building teams, earning trips, and achieving the highest levels of recognition and success. She conducted local, regional, and national sales trainings and workshops and presented at national conferences. During her direct sales career, Heather published Smooth Sailing, an e-book available on Amazon that guides readers through the process of selecting a direct sales company that’s a good fit and setting them up for success.

Heather has facilitated networking and referral groups for 8 years, guiding others to grow and build successful businesses. She is co-founder of Michigan Business Connect, an independent referral group born out of a desire to connect local businesses. As you know, groups like this are often expensive and ineffective, and have WAY too many rules! When starting MBC, we found that women were making 5 common mistakes with referrals:

1. Referrals weren’t need-based (referring a lawn service to someone with 2 teenage boys who mow the grass is useless)

2. Referrals weren’t quality (seeing a friend gripe about cleaning their house on Facebook, then posting that she should call Karen’s Cleaning Service; your friend is just sharing the pain)

3. Referrals weren’t qualified (to lend credibility and cement the need, one should make an introduction via phone or email on behalf of the person being referred)

4. Women are often reticent to ask for a referral and/or self-promote (creating a group with a referral culture makes asking second nature)

5. It’s all about ME (many groups promote the “get then give” mentality, where everyone constantly self-promotes. We teach a “give then get” mentality, putting the good of others first, which then comes back to the giver tenfold)

While going through her divorce, Heather published Escape From the 9 to 5, a weekly e-magazine that addressed the many needs facing and issues impacting women entrepreneurs.

Over the last couple of years, she came to realize that small business owners are often overwhelmed with the myriad of marketing options bombarding them on a daily basis. Heather launched Ace in the Hole Branding to help women entrepreneurs escape from chaos and confusion and utilize the best marketing tools for their particular business. Un-Stuck and Back to Biz™ is Heather’s EASY, personalized, effective process that eliminates frustration, grows business, and stops you from flushing dollars down toilet.

As a single mom of two incredible young men (and a pesky but loving dog), I understand the many roles placed upon women. I spent years feeling like I needed to “do it all myself,” which created a lonely, chaotic life. It almost destroyed me – I was constantly stressed out and exhausted; I felt overwhelmed every second of every day.

My divorce has taught me that I can’t do it all, and I now surround myself with people who excel at those things I don’t. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but of confidence and strength, and it has enabled me to claim a life of order and peace. My desire is to help other women entrepreneurs, so they, too, can once again dream, then achieve those dreams. I’m excited to help YOU move forward and grow!

Congratulations!

By reading this far, you’ve tackled the first major obstacle impeding your sense of calm and peace – the stagnation that comes with feeling totally overwhelmed and stuck! Too often, women entrepreneurs get caught up in juggling the many roles, titles, hats, and responsibilities life and business throw our way.

This report will shatter 3 myths that are holding back your business’ growth and will provide you with a clear path to get un-stuck, lose that overwhelmed feeling, and experience the thriving business and success you desire.

Here’s what you need to do: print out this report, grab a red pen, and ask the world to leave you be for the next 45 minutes. This report will change your outlook, your approach, and your life. It’s that impactful. Taking our time together seriously will yield serious results for you and your business. These next few minutes comprise the most important time you will spend on your business this year.

By the end of this report, you’ll know:

1. The top 3 myths women entrepreneurs believe that cause them to feel overwhelmed and stuck

2. How to dispel these costly myths3. 3 easy-to-follow, practical strategies you can implement right away to

break the “overwhelmed and stuck” cycle, experience success, and grow your business stronger than ever.

Read on, get un-stuck, and get back to business!

Heather

Myth #3Firefighting is a Way of Life

That’s a myth? Really? YES, really!! Women are, by nature, hard wired to juggle while standing on one finger and reciting the Iliad in original Greek. We are great multi-taskers, moms, wives, daughters, sisters, friends. Oh, and entrepreneurs.

Yes, life is crazy just about every minute of every day. We tend to run from one crisis to the next, prioritizing not by priority but by what is slapping us in the face at the current moment in time. We, in a word, are firefighters.

Firefighters can’t plan too far ahead, as they never know when or where the next flames will spark. In the midst of a fire, they rely on training and instinct; predictability goes by the wayside the second the wind shifts, the roof collapses, or a window shatters, causing dangerous backdraft.

We tend to move through our days in the same way – we make it through the early morning routine, get the kids out the door, grab a coffee, and sit down, ready to tackle today’s LIST. Isn’t entrepreneurship fantastic? What other job in the world brings such flexibility!

The school calls, and little Johnny just puked on his teacher. After a quick trip to the school, the doctor, and the pharmacy (that’s 3 hours quick), it’s now lunchtime and you’re home with a sick kid. Isn’t that one of the perks of being the boss? Of course it is! What a blessing!

Now, a little time to work until kid #2 gets home….

The LIST is really a list of suggestions, right? Everything will still be there tomorrow. Tomorrow comes, and we are faced with a new set of interruptions, crises, and problems. Each day becomes a never-ending cycle of needing more time, more time, more time and never feeling like anything gets accomplished because we constantly firefight!

We firefight because we’ve been trained from a very early age that life is a series of fires. While yes, life is unpredictable at best and utter chaos most days, we DO NOT have to operate our businesses in firefighting mode. In fact, doing so not only sabotages your business, it sets up a tornado environment – we just spin

and spin and spin, never moving forward, fanning those flames of frustration, overwhelm, and hopelessness. Without a plan of where you want your business to go and a path how to get there, you’ll continue to flame and spin, flame and spin, faster and faster, in that swirling vortex.

What’s a girl to do?

Stop the tornado! Easier said than done? No, not really. Business, just like life, naturally wants to follow a path. Did you ever notice that paths are usually created, not naturally occurring? Without intentionally building a road for our businesses, we might travel down the fiery road, or get sucked into the tornado of destruction, or meander along the Long and Winding Road so aptly described by the Beatles, never reaching a destination. It’s up to us to set goals, envision ourselves accomplishing those goals, and guide our businesses along that road we built toward overwhelming success.

The Solution - Vision

Take a minute to imagine how you really, truly want your business to be. Think through the following questions, and write down your responses.

1. What 2 goals do you want to achieve in the next 12 months?2. What steps must be taken to achieve those goals?3. How will you feel when they are achieved?4. How will achieving them impact your business?5. How will achieving them impact your life?

Having a vision, then building a road to achieve it, transports us from the swirling vortex of chaos to the success that direction and order provide. Creating and then following a plan eliminates that endless merry-go-round ride. Stop the spinning, douse the flames, set your priorities that propel you toward your vision, and MOVE FORWARD!

Myth #2A Little of This and a Little of That

Builds a Strong Business

As an entrepreneur, you’ve probably been told that, to grow a successful business, you need to have a strong presence on Facebook; work LinkedIn like crazy; Tweet endlessly; get your website in the top 3 on Google; print great brochures; don’t forget Google +; mail to several hundred homes in your community so they know who you are; put an ad in the coupon circulars; blog regularly; try a hundred thousand other things; and, oh, do what you set out to do in the first place - run your core business.

30 years ago, small businesses hung a shingle, put an ad in the Yellow Pages, and enjoyed the semi-exclusivity of being one of the only (insert your industry here) in their community. Times have more than changed; they’ve been flipped upside down, chopped into tiny pieces, and thrown into the air like confetti on New Year’s Eve. Today, fierce competition for market share and endless opportunities to reach a potential market create confusion and frustration for business owners looking to build a loyal customer base.

Do You Throw Spaghetti at the Wall?

Overwhelmed by possibilities and options, many entrepreneurs try a little of this and a little of that, also known as the “throw spaghetti at the wall and hopes something sticks” approach, when it comes to marketing their business. At the end of the day, they’ve spent loads of money, aren’t really sure what worked or what didn’t, and haven’t experience the growth they hoped for.

True story

Several months ago, I was contacted independently by two real estate agents, Sue and Jan. They each wanted to grab a coffee and bounce ideas around, hoping to find fresh ways to brand themselves and connect with potential clients.

Sue had recently taken on a new career after 20 years of teaching elementary students. She worked for a national real estate company that had lots of internally printed training and marketing materials (much of which was not free –

hidden expense Sue hadn’t anticipated). As we talked, I realized that Sue was falling into the little of this, little of that mindset, trying anything and everything to build her real estate business. She told me about a program she purchased for $600 that advertised her on Facebook for a year. I asked Sue the same question I initially ask every client – “How would YOU look for you?” In other words, I asked Sue how she’d go about finding a reputable real estate agent. Her answer, “I’d drive to the neighborhood I wanted to move into and see what agents had multiple listings and I’d start with them.”

Jan had been an agent for 23 years. She came of age in an era when things were competitive but not nearly as cut-throat as they are today. Her goal in meeting with me was to re-brand herself and increase her market share. Ironically, Jan also had recently paid several hundred dollars for a Facebook ad program designed for real estate agents (a different one than Sue’s). I asked her the same question, and her response was, “I’d ask a friend.”

The Coolness Factor

I immediately followed up with both of them, asking, “Would you search for a real estate agent on Facebook?” Both emphatically said NO! Next question: “Why, then, would you pay several hundred dollars a year for a program that advertises you on Facebook?” They both said the salespeople did a great job selling and that the programs were cutting edge and neat. Of course they did, and I’m sure they were! Otherwise, the companies would be out of business. Sue and Jan got caught up in the “coolness” factor and completely overlooked the effectiveness question.

This story crystallizes the trap so many entrepreneurs fall into. We follow the “shiny,” the latest and greatest, hoping something cutting edge and cool will make a difference in our businesses. We try a little of this and a little of that, toss the spaghetti, and, at the end of the day, have no idea what sticks and what doesn’t. This approach causes immense frustration, wastes time, flushes money down the toilet, and does little to connect us to those fiercely loyal clients we so desire.

The Connection Component™

Why do we gravitate toward “Shiny?” It’s pretty. It looks good. It’s attention-grabbing. It sparkles. We girls love sparkle! Shiny, however, doesn’t take into

account the foundational marketing cornerstone in relationship-based businesses: the Connection Component™. Each business has a specific target market. Each of those target markets has unique mediums through which it accesses and assimilates information, gains knowledge, and builds trust.

The real estate agents knew that their business was based on personal recommendation. Advertising on Facebook, then, was not necessarily the best use of their marketing budget. Building relationships on Facebook (which is totally free, I might add), may have been a better option than ads, but getting out in the community, meeting people, and becoming known as honest, helpful agents who look out for their clients is really the best use of time and financial resources for Sue and Jan.

What Does The Connection Component™ Do For Me?

As you consider your target market, take time to research how they communicate and connect; how they process information; and how they search for and gain knowledge. The Connection Component™ will increase effectiveness, save time, eliminate frustration, and save money. Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about:

Elderly clientele typically connect through more traditional means, as many 80 year olds still use the Yellow Pages and don’t own cell phones or computers, so social media is not a great Connection Component for this group

Targeting 45 – 65 year olds online is often effectively done through Facebook, since it’s the go-to social media platform for that age demographic. Blogging and newsletters also resonate with this group, as their generation loves to be educated

Business to business digital marketing may benefit from aggressive LinkedIn action

Print ads are expensive and typically have a 1 – 3 % ROI, so carefully considering whether the product or service you offer has the right price point and draw is vital, as is having a plan to convert those new customers into loyal clients. Example: if you take out an ad trying to sell low cost massages to undercut the competition, you might sell a few, but many of those who take advantage of your ad will head to the competition when they undercut you – coupon shoppers shop based on

coupons, and your reduced massage price, combined with the cost of the ad, may actually cause you to lose money.

The Solution – Plan and Follow the Plan

How in the world do you choose the best options? It’s overwhelming to weed through the many offers, ideas, and technology, and choose which

modes and methods are best to implement to reach your target. It’s vitally important that your marketing follows a well-thought-out plan and

is designed with your business goals in mind. Understanding not just “who” you are trying to reach but “how to connect” will save time and

money, streamline your marketing, and relieve you from spaghetti overload. A little of this and a little of that makes for a nasty martini.

Follow the recipe, and market your brand to the right people in the right manner for maximum success.

Myth #1I Can Do It All!

As a girl coming of age in the ‘80s, I was told I could be anything I wanted to be. There were no limitations, no glass ceilings – I could have it all! Having it all translated into doing it all and being all things to all people. I’m a mom, a successful business owner, a school and church volunteer, a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador, a businesswoman active in my community; I run a referral group, run a household, am a single parent; I clean the house, keep the yard up, rake leaves, haul wood, and drive kids from one activity to another. Yay me!

Not so much. My house is a mess, the yard was a weed garden by the end of the summer, I cram too much into most days, trying to get it all done …

The I Can Do It All mentality frequently translates into the I Can Do It All But Not Very Well lifestyle. For women entrepreneurs, this carries over into how we approach and run our businesses. We hang our shingle for a wide variety of reasons: our friends tell us we should start a business selling the jelly grandma taught us how to make; we see a need and fill it; we’re tired of working for someone else; we want the challenge of building something from nothing; we want to be appreciated for our efforts; we want to make a difference in the world…

In the Beginning…

We get really excited, put together a business plan, throw up a website, and voila! We’re in business! When starting out, we typically do everything ourselves – we tell our friends, put up our business Facebook page, do a little marketing to get the word out. We’re really great at what we do, and guess what? We land a few clients, and things grow! We experience small victories, which turn into wild successes, which turn into large victories. Things continue to blossom and bloom. Business is excellent. We hire an assistant, business builds, we hire another staff person or two.

All of a sudden, we’re 7 years in, and we’re not only the resident expert of our core business, we’re also the marketing director, the human resources

department, the CEO, the CFO, the CIO, the office manager, the director of operations, the facilities manager, and on and on and on. We come to the point where our I Can Do It All mindset stifles growth, creates frustration, and establishes a constant sense of feeling overwhelmed.

Too many hats, not enough hours in the day; a huge desire to grow the business but no idea how to find the time, energy, and expertise to do so. We find ourselves back in firefighting mode, spinning in that vortex of chaos, handling the crises as they arise but not able to move forward. The lovely road we so carefully and lovingly built is filled with potholes, our Vision is obscured by the giant mound of paperwork that needs our attention, and we don’t even have time for the “Shiny” stuff that used to captivate us. There’s so much to do, we don’t even know where to start. Hopeless and overwhelmed, we put our head in our hands and wonder why we ever thought we could do this.

The Solution

Believe it or not, this is a good place to be. You have finally realized you CANNOT do it all! What’s the solution? Two words, my friend: GET HELP! You are an

expert in your core business; after all, that’s why you’re still in business. It’s now time to surround yourself with people who are experts in things you’re not. Find a great bookkeeper to pay the bills and process payroll. Get a cleaning service in once or twice a month to give things a good once-over. Hire an accountant who will look over the bookkeeper’s numbers a couple of times each year and handle your taxes. Work with a branding and marketing consultant to devise strategy

and growth plan to move you forward.

The Gift

Consider this: if you were given the gift of 20 hours each week to do what you do best, how much revenue would that add to your bottom line? Freeing yourself of the many hats gives back the greatest gift a small business owner can receive: Time.

Go through the visioning process again, exploring how those 20 hours per week, 80 hours per month, multiplied by your average hourly rate, would change your life and your business. What would life look like? It’s a powerfully explosive exercise.

Getting help with the things that suck up your valuable time, the things you’re not good at, the things you hate to do, and the things that never seem to get done is perhaps the smartest business decision you’ll ever make. You’re able to return to what you do well and allow your business to be nurtured by others who are dedicated to helping you grow by doing what they do well.

True Story

I was recently referred to Kristy, who has owned a specialty business for 14 years. Kristy’s story is not uncommon. When she started her business, she was the only person in town offering her services. She built a great clientele, people loved her, and she moved into a bigger space. Yay, Kristy!

Over the years, new businesses offering the latest and greatest sprang up, and competition increased. Word of mouth singing Kristy’s praises was no longer good enough to grow her business – there was too much noise and “Shiny” blocking her out. After 14 years, she’s paying the bills and doing ok but feels like her business should be much further along than it is.

As we talked, the overwhelm poured out. Kristy yearns for the days of old when her time was spent greeting her clients, being the face of the business, and getting back to what she truly loves – helping others. Unfortunately, Kristy’s time and energy are sucked up with daily firefighting, focusing on things she doesn’t know much about, and managing people.

Kristy had a vision of where she wanted to go but had no tools, strategy, or TIME to get to the Promised Land. Kristy was stuck; she had no path and could not see a way forward on her own. She recognized she needed help a couple of years ago but had no idea what she needed or who to whom to turn.

We spent some time talking through ideas to address Kristy’s immediate needs, designed a strategy to expose her business to a larger audience, and set a branding and marketing plan for the next couple of months. Just knowing she had help gave Kristy the freedom to really dream and envision what she wants life to look like a year from now. Kristy left our meeting with excitement, energy, and enthusiasm that had gone by the wayside years ago as she struggled to do it all by herself.

I Want To Help -

For FREE!Have you ever felt like Kristy? I know I have. That’s the reason I started my business, to help the Kristys of the world get un-stuck. What would business look like if you had a plan and strategy to implement business growth? How would it feel to have the burden of wearing 8 hats lifted? Imagine a day when you don’t feel totally overwhelmed – what would you do with your time?

I’m providing a handful of qualified women entrepreneurs the opportunity to work with me one-on-one, absolutely free. Our time together will provide you with a plan of action to propel your relationship-driven business forward. You’ll walk away with a workable strategy to unburden your time. And, most importantly, you’ll open the gift of envisioning what you desire your business to look like and devise a path to get it there.

Here’s How It Works

We schedule a Complimentary Get Un-Stuck™ Consultation. This phone call has three purposes: first, to laser focus in on your immediate business needs; second, to devise a plan to unburden you; and third, to devise a strategy to move your business forward.

Then What?

One of 3 things happens after our call:

1. You love the strategy we develop together and choose to implement the pieces on your own. If that’s your choice, I look forward to hearing how things progress. Best of luck in your endeavors! Just be careful not to get overwhelmed and stuck!!

2. You love the strategy but realize that you can no longer “Do It All” on your own. We decide to work together, following the growth strategy that builds your business and fulfils your vision. You will immediately have a partner who unburdens you and helps make your dreams become reality.

You hate the strategy we develop together and decide you’re ok being stuck. That’s a decision some people make, and I totally respect that. Asking for help is difficult, and change is scary, especially in business. If you choose this option, know that I’m

here to help when you’re ready.

Why Would I Offer This?

First of all, I love helping women entrepreneurs. I love experiencing their shift from overwhelmed to excited and guiding them to a productive, growing mindset, which translates into an exploding business.

Second, I attract my top-level clients through this process. We have the opportunity to decide if we’re a good fit, devise a workable strategy, and envision what working together will do for business before making a long-term commitment.

Assuming you’re happy with our session together and the strategy we come up with, you’ll most likely want to continue working together so you can take your business to new heights while you experience new freedoms.

If I feel that we’d be a good fit, I may offer you the opportunity to become a long-term client.

Who Is This Offer For?

Women entrepreneurs whose businesses are relationship based (I’m an expert in relationship-based businesses rather than commercial, or industrial focused businesses)

Women entrepreneurs who have established, reputable, profitable businesses but no marketing professional on staff

Women entrepreneurs who are willing to invest time, energy and money to get “un-stuck” and move their businesses forward

Women entrepreneurs who will commit to the process and be willing to work collaboratively

Women entrepreneurs who will take direction, implement change, and yield some control to an outside expert. This is the MOST important factor on the list. I understand that some people feel the need to micromanage and be in control of every aspect of business. I totally

respect that. However, we probably won’t work well together. Mine is a collaborative process.

Who Is This NOT for?

Start-ups and businesses less than 3 years old. It’s challenging to go through this process when you’re still trying to get things off the ground

Women entrepreneurs who own a franchise or chain, as those businesses must follow corporate marketing strategies and guidelines

Business owners who are content with being stuck and overwhelmed. If you’re content, there’s no motivator to put in the work required to move forward

People who are negative, complain, and gripe about life’s challenges. While we all have our moments, this process requires a positive attitude and a commitment to working through the challenges

People who know absolutely everything they need to know to explode their business on their own. I’d love to get some tips from you!

Do You Think We’re A Good Fit?If you meet the criteria above and are excited about the idea of getting help for your business, fill out the short application below. If it seems that we’re a good fit, I’ll be in touch very soon to set up your complimentary Get Un-Stuck and Back to Biz™ session. If I don’t think we’re right to work together, I will let you know within the next few days.

JUST CLICK:

Get Un-Stuck Application™

Warning – Time is a Factor!

This opportunity is extremely limited. Due to the intense one-on-one time required for each client relationship, I only take on two new clients each month. If you’re excited by what you’ve read and you’re ready to get un-stuck and grow your business, click here to get things rolling.

The sooner you complete your Get Unstuck™ Application, the sooner we can devise a strategy to bring back the joy of owning a business and move you and your business to the next level.

I look forward to working with you.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Heather

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