The Real Secret to Success in Your Business
it's not what you think!

by Laura Howard West

The secret to success for entrepreneurs and small business owners is not another brilliant marketing idea. There's a better place to start first. The real secret to success is tapping into and using your intuition in your business on a consistent basis.

You might be wondering... Can this really be true? Yes. When you hone your ability to tap into your intuition then you'll thrive in any economy because you have a strategy that is more powerful than a marketing flash. Marketing ideas are a dime a dozen. Great marketing ideas are rarer, but your intuition will tell you which ones are right for you and your business in this moment. Without your intuition you are just flailing like a flag being whipped around by the wind.

This was the case in a recent Intuitive Business Consultation with a client who wanted clarity on her niche. She is a life coach who works with women in mid-life. That narrows it down to about 40 million women. She knew it wasn't focused enough as she wasn't really gaining any momentum in her business. It's not a focused enough niche so she can use her marketing resources wisely and effectively. She came to the call frustrated. She said she had been in business for years and had studied a lot of marketing strategies. She felt she should know this stuff.

She was looking outside for marketing solutions first instead of looking on the inside for the clarity and alignment of her gifts and her passions.

In the process of getting clear we tapped into her energy flow and patterns. Where was she on fire and excited? What is her passion for these women about? What was she so passionate about that it flipped on her and caused her to shut down the possibilities? Where did she get angry and hold back? What is so unique and magical about my client's way of offering life coaching that she doesn't even see it? Much like a fish doesn't notice the water they swim in, it's often hard to see for yourself without practice. These are energetic clues to my client's path to growth and success in her business. These are not the typical marketing questions you ask yourself in a business planning class and yet they are the key to sustainable success. Start inside for alignment and then the inspired actions, i.e.: marketing strategies, packaging ideas and products, will come easily.

Everyone has the ability to tap into their innate wisdom, knowledge, ideas and inspiration drawn from intuition. It's not reserved for a select few. However, it does take practice to hone the skill so you can depend on it and use it on a consistent basis. Chances are you already using your intuition occasionally without being consciously aware of it.

What are your signs that you are in tune with your intuition? The experience is different for everyone. Here are some common experiences from my clients about when they know they are tapped in:

    * My inner voice sounds different than the usual chatter
    * I feel a quiet sense of calm
    * I feel an alignment of energy inside
    * I had a dream
    * It feels right
    * I feel a surge of energy and elation
    * I feel a tingling in my arms and shoulders
    * I see a picture in my mind

I find many of my clients are naturally intuitive but something happens when it comes to their business and especially marketing. They shift from their inner wisdom to frantically chasing more marketing knowledge and ideas outside of themselves. Knowledge is good and we need information for the "how to's" of successful marketing but most entrepreneurs I know get stuck in collecting information.

The real goldmine is in listening to what you need to do next. This might be scary, in fact, it usually requires you to claim your brilliance in a new way and step into the spotlight. Even stepping in to the spotlight graciously and with integrity requires you to own your personal power. This is where getting support from a coach or mentor will help you shift your mindset, trust your intuition and take the actions aligned with your vision.

In this rapidly changing world you need to have skills that go beyond "great marketing." The economy changes, demographics change, lifestyle desires change and then your marketing needs to change. Relying on your intuition to tell you what your business is wanting from you next, what your clients want and which decisions to make is where the power to your success is in any economy.

This week: Think about one area of your business you want more clarity on or a decision that it's time to make. When you think about this area, notice the signals your body sends to you. Pay attention to the ideas that pop up to inspire you to take action. Notice what resources are right in front of you waiting to help.     ###