4 - The Turn-Around: how my business crashed & I lost 8k insta followers, to a £4k sales week

This time last year, my business was barely making enough to get by. 
I went on a beach holiday last week and made £4k sales. 
Here's the full breakdown of getting from there to here: 
➡️ In Spring 2023, my business crashed after I became unwell.
At that point I wasn't only physically ill, I realised I was pretty broke and burned out...
And I clearly had no contingency when sh*t hit the fan. 
I decided I could either give up... or go all in.
Reflecting last week on my holiday about the steps I took, I came up with six key components I'd love to share with you. 
Because the £4k sales are the result of strategic work in wardrobe, mindset, business and life.
There's so much ‘success’ chat on social media, which makes it look like things just happened for that person you keep comparing yourself to. 
 And the truth is either 1 of 2 things:
1- they're bluffing, in which case what a shame for them
2- they've worked consistently at this thing to get it where it is
Sales don't *just happen* - there's a lag time between implementing the actions and seeing the result.
But you have to know WHAT to implement to see any result at all.
And inside my new programme That's Not A Business I'm breaking down the how of taking something most people believe is *a hobby* building it into a business on track for 6-figures, transforming women's lives by helping them make money too, and giving me the space to create a podcast AND write a book.
This is the first time I've run this programme so it's at a price not offered again.
We'll dig deeper into these 6 steps and a boat-load more BTS to help you create a business that feels fun and impactful REGARDLESS of you being ‘new’ to the industry or the industry itself being ‘new.’
➡️ 1 - went back to basics and made sure my foundations were nailed (in business & wardrobe)
Having a business that looks successful but is barely making money, is the equivalent of wearing a shiny new outfit for an event… and being in grotty pjs at home.
Foundations are where I start with clients in their style, and it's where I also had to go back to in my business.
 
➡️ 2 - focused on the conversations, not on the money
We all know that scratchy, constricted feeling of needing to make cash. But unfortunately that feeling is the exact opposite to how you need to feel to make things happen. 
 People can sense your energy, regardless of the words coming out of your mouth. When I focussed on having genuine conversations, or reconnecting with people vs ‘the money’… the money started coming in.
➡️ 3 - energy is everything (daily rituals/get dressed as standard even working from home alone)
You can be doing alllll the things but nothing's working. And it's because you aren't being. When I focussed on feeling first, the actions I took had more impact. 
Plus there are psychological benefits to getting dressed. And I don't just mean ‘putting on clothes so you aren’t naked' - I mean if you're currently operating at 5/10, taking it up to a 10/10. This doesn't mean sacking off comfort for style, fyi. Your insistence that you can't have both is actually keeping you stuck. 
 
➡️ 4 - raised my prices and became unavailable for any clients less than empowered brilliant women
Unfortunately in the moment where I wasn't making much money, I found myself going against my intuition and taking on a client who was giving red flag vibes. 
She refused to pay at my rate (which was already way under where it should be), and then expected me to answer calls at 6am or on holiday. The final straw was when I messaged clients saying I'd be taking my birthday off and she told me that was unacceptable. 
 Telling her that I was ending our agreement felt scary, but it instantly gave me so much more confidence. I decided I was only available for dream clients and since then… nothing but dream clients have come my way.
➡️ 5 - switched my content from *how-to* to activation so it's working for me even when I'm on a beach
 When you start a business, you almost can't help getting swept up in ‘the way things are done’. 
You think that the way to attract clients is show off all your knowledge and give helpful ‘how-to’ content, tips and tricks. 
 That makes people view you as a free resource, not someone they'd ever consider paying. 
 The universe gave me a nudge to change my approach to content when I lost my instagram account and 8,000 followers with it. I realised how few of those followers were ever actually going to become clients. 
 Now I have around 600 followers and I make more sales from Instagram than I ever did. 
 Followers are not necessarily the thing you need - what you need is to learn how to create content that activates.
➡️ 6 - having high-level mentorship as a non-negotiable, not dipping in and out in areas I needed to strengthen 
 At the time of becoming suddenly very unwell, I was out of mentorship. 
 I kept kidding myself that ‘if I just make X money, if I can just get my business back to when it was on track, then I’ll invest in that programmme'…
 But after struggling on for a few months, the day Instagram locked me out, I took it as a sign. 
 Since then I have not been out of mentorship. Aside from my long-term support, I've also invested in shorter-term programmes to strengthen my skills and confidence in other areas. 
 
If style is a place you know you need to strengthen, enrollment for Own the Room is still open. 
This is the essential style foundations course for female founders who want to feel super confident and get recognised as they scale to £5k months & beyond. 
 
If you sign up for this round, you'll get That's Not A Business AS A BONUS 🤯 
THIS PODCAST EPISODE WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED AS A LINKEDIN AUDIO. COME FIND ME ON LINKEDIN; https://www.linkedin.com/in/samantha-harman-style-editor/