What is the number one thing most entrepreneurs want?

More business.

More clients/customers/products out the door/money in their pockets. More, more, more.

So we market ourselves. We create blog posts and podcasts, we advertise our services and post our products on social media. We use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube to reach our audience. We optimize our websites for search engines and we attend networking events like it’s nobody’s business. We send off cold call emails and we ask for referrals, go live on social media, sponsor events, and host giveaways. And we send newsletters.

When starting a business, there are often a slew of things you want to figure out right away: business plan, pricing structure, website, products and/or services, etc. And generally, this are all things that people can figure out on their own, whether they have a background in business and marketing or not.

But the one area that I see people get stuck time and time again is in acquiring clients and customers. Where do I advertise? Do I advertise? What social media platforms should I use? How do I promote myself? Where should I market?

Marketing, mindset, empowerment, community, self care, business planning, goal setting, time management, burnout, imposter syndrome — these are just a few of the topics I cover in this blog, and with my clients.

But the one thing I find most entrepreneurs are curious about is which of these are the most common. It’s a question I get asked time and time again: “What do most people who work with you focus on?”

I firmly believe that the success of a business is built on a foundation of amazing customer experience. You can have the best product, the most amazing marketing team, or the most beautiful website, but if your client doesn’t have a pleasant experience while they’re working with you, it doesn’t matter. They won’t come back.

One of the easiest ways to provide for your clients is to go over and beyond with your customer experience. Instead of providing a good experience, how can you absolutely wow them? How can you make them feel like they’re completely cared for? How can you eliminate any obstacle that is in their way of purchasing your product?

“Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution toward the things that really matter.”

Enter Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown. This amazing book preaches the practice of “less, but better”. It explains that focusing our energy on only a few truly worthwhile commitments at a time actually produces stronger, more effective, and more meaningful results.

Okay, I know authenticity is a controversial word in the entrepreneurial world. Some people absolutely hate it, while others talk about it incessantly. But I think it's one of the most important parts of running your business, so let's break it down and talk about why.

While social media and networking are amazing ways to gain visibility for your business, the newsletter is the unsung hero of marketing. There is only one way to control getting your information directly in the hands of your audience, and that’s through regular communication. While Facebook and Instagram are owned by outside parties, you’ll never lose control of your email list.