The Visibility Secret Behind Every Successful Launch

If it feels hard right now, if it feels like, Oh, I just, I really need to kick myself into gear to actually get myself to go out and start doing these things. I feel you that's it's true the first effort can feel hard, but the momentum that you build Once you commit to this visibility is amazing.

You This is the Entrepreneur School Podcast where we believe you can run a thriving business and still make your family a priority. This show is all about supporting you, the emerging or early stage entrepreneur, on your journey from solopreneur to CEO while wearing all of the other hats in your life. My name is Kelly Sinclair, and I'm a brand and marketing strategist who started a business with two kids under three. I'm a corporate PR girl turned entrepreneur after I learned the hard way that life is too short to waste doing things that burn you out on this show, you'll hear inspiring stories from other business owners on their journey and learn strategies to help you grow a profitable business while making it all fit into the life that you want. Welcome to Entrepreneur School.

So let's talk about the lead up to a launch, first of all, and how important it is to create that demand and build trust and warm up your audience. People do not, just generally speaking, find you and immediately buy your thing. That is lovely to think that that would happen. And there are maybe some anecdotes out there on the internet that suggests that it is possible. And in fact, I have had that happen to me, where somebody showed up all of a sudden, out seemingly out of nowhere, and bought one of my programs without ever having met me or having a conversation with me. But that's because I came into her world through a trusted source, and that's because of the focus on visibility and in particular collaborations, which is something that I talk about all the time on this podcast.

So when we think about visibility and how long things take to happen, this is where our current social programming, of our desire for instant gratification is really not helping us out at all. Right? We have this like need to instantly see results from things we get frustrated now that they're putting advertisements on streaming services or that you actually have to wait a whole week to watch the next episode of the show. Like, I literally sometimes won't even choose a new show to watch unless I can, I can commit. I can see that there's all the seasons available, but I'm not going to have to wait and, like, put space in between them. This is, this is just how we're wired these days, right? And so it makes sense that when we go out to do stuff for our business, we also without even maybe intentionally knowing it, subconsciously, we have that desire and that that need and maybe even expectation for quick results. But I think that you need to stop shedding that expectation and start leaning into the fact that it's going to take a good three months to see some really helpful, beneficial results from your actions when it comes to visibility. So look at this as an investment, rather than. Instant result driven activity, building results or building relationships with your audience now is what's going to create the results in sales later.

So the sales cycle starts with visibility, right? If your end goal is sales, which in business it is, you need leads, which means those people from your audience, who actually are considering working with you, who are reaching out, connecting, maybe getting on sales calls, maybe engaging with your content, or applying to your emails. Those people are leads, and that is a portion of your audience. And the audience is everybody who you have in your world, who you have an opportunity to communicate with directly. Now, those people come from visibility, right? So whether that's you getting on podcasts and you're reaching the audience of that podcast, or you're participating in collaboration opportunities that are building up your email list. So then you have an audience for your email list that you can reach out to your social media audience counts, although Remember, only like one to 2% of those people are actually going to see what you post. So your audience needs to be building up, and you need to be communicating with them, creating those relationships, nurturing, as they say, that audience so that they could become leads that know what you're talking about, that know about your stuff, that have been thinking about working with you, that have had you in their mind for a while before they will turn into sales. That person turns into a client. You're actually able to help them and work with them in the way that you want to

So visibility is a trust building activity, right? It's all about positioning yourself as that go to expert, and that takes time. The reputation like for those that are actually building this quickly and are seeing maybe, maybe what you're seeing out there that can be perceived as really quick results. Those people have been putting in the effort for years. They've built a big reputation. They have strong collaboration partners, they have other people talking about what they're doing. And so it's an easier step for you as a potential customer to see, oh, I just saw who that person was, and I have bought their thing, like right away. But really, they've built that web, they've built that network behind the scenes that really support and build that trust, because that is the key in order to creating those sales, right? So I just really want to encourage you to have that patience and also commit to that persistence in building your efforts, because this is a marathon. It's not a sprint. I'm gonna trust the process.

I was talking about this analogy today. I honestly don't know if I've shared this on the podcast before, but I was sharing it in a recording that I did for a summit that's upcoming, and it's that idea of, like, the ripple effect. And when you throw a boulder, a big rock, my kids always love when my husband picks up a big rock and throws that into the water, because he's a big, strong guy, that first plop is, like, a big effort. It's a huge, like, indent, a big ripple. Like, it takes the water a lot more effort to create that splash, but then as the ripples go out farther, they're starting to get faster, they're starting to get closer together, and they're also reaching farther, like if you think of the whole circle around the original what the original effort was, I hope you're getting a beautiful visual from this, because I'm seeing my husband throwing A rock into the Bow River here in Cochran, or a lake when we're on holidays. And those things both make me happy. Anyhow, those little ripples that are the farther away from the initial effort, those are creating amazing results. And I will share like I can track back almost everything that's coming into my world right now, every speaking opportunity, every podcast invitation, every every time somebody is reaching out to me now, and I'm in that place where I'm getting invitations way more often than when I was previously having to put myself out there to create those opportunities. They're coming a lot faster, and that's because I already started this work over a year ago, right? So the first thing that I did that led to the next thing that led to the next thing, they're still creating results.

So I will give a short version of the example, just in case you haven't been here before, when I first started my visibility tour method. When I started challenging myself to creating a visibility habit and taking the time at least 10 minutes a day to focus on visibility, I did a media pitch about my podcast. I got media coverage that was amazing. Those results, in and of themselves, made me. Happy, but the media coverage boosted my podcast ranking, which got me seen by a bigger publicity agency, which got a big guest on my show, which got me excited and fired up. And like just sometimes, the energy that comes from those results is enough of a result, and that momentum builds because I turned that into a case study, which got me speaking at a conference in Nashville, and the people that I met in the room in Nashville, we're still collaborating with each other. I just recorded an episode on a podcast last week as a result of being in that room and creating a new relationship with somebody, and what's going to happen after that podcast goes live, who's going to come into my world as a result of that right, both potential clients and even new collaboration opportunities. So it's that whole same idea of, like, the six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. It's like you can just see it. You can connect the dots all the way back to the first thing, and it keeps going, and it keeps going. And then as you're doing these little things, you're creating more ripples. And so your ripples are starting to cross over. And so now you have all sorts of things happening all the time, and it no longer feels like a heavy lift. You don't have to throw that big boulder into the water anymore. You just have the benefits of having done that the first time. So if it feels hard right now, if it feels like, Oh, I just, I really need to kick myself into gear to actually get myself to go out and start doing these things. I feel you that's it's true the first effort can feel hard, but the momentum that you build Once you commit to this visibility is amazing, and it creates more opportunities, more momentum and more results for you.

So that's what happens when you actually focus and commit, and especially for at least 60 to 90 days, I like to say 90 days, so three months of intentional effort when it comes to your visibility, will create amazing results for you. And so that's why I needed to come in here now in September and talk to you about January. I know we don't like to be super proactive sometimes, but it's just so important. So let's just talk about what you can do. I want you to think for a second about your goals, your goals and your business for the next 90 days. And maybe you already have something that you're working on right now, and that's amazing. You've got something new that's starting in September, because your audience is aligned with the fresh restart of September in a lot of cases. That works for sure, just to connect in with this timing of back to school, back to routine. September is the new January, all of that stuff. I love that. What do you want three months from now? What do you want to be different about your business? What kind of program Are you launching? Something new. Do you want more people in your program? Do you want more people on your client roster? What are your goals? And maybe take it a minute and jot this down when you have an opportunity or a free hand, I know you're probably multitasking right now, doing the dishes, picking up kids or driving them somewhere. I feel you for sure, for sure. So create that goal for yourself, and then think about what is one thing that I can do today that's going to help me get visible in front of my ideal audience that can serve towards that goal. So that's your takeaway. That's your takeaway from this episode today.

Because when you commit to that small, consistent action over time, you're not going to overwhelm yourself. You're going to be able to see those results, and you're going to be able to do it just like, like how they say, I'm giving you a lot of different analogies here, but if you currently, if you want to run five kilometers, and you currently can't walk five kilometers. Like the first thing you do is you put on your running shoes, right? The commitment you put on your running shoes, you go outside, you see how far you can get, and eventually you're running that 5k and it's going to be different. How long does it take you to learn how to run 5k that's different for every single person, and it's the same with visibility. How long does it take you to get that list of clients, that revenue goal, you have that program filled whatever it is, it's going to be different for everybody, and we need to start embracing that, instead of thinking that we failed if we haven't hit something within a certain timeline. So this is why I really harp on the importance of building a habit around visibility and the benefits that can have for you. So this is not a lecture to make you feel like you're behind, because starting right now is right on time. And I want you to be really honest with yourself, because if you're not seeing the results you want right now, and that is a direct reflection of what you've been doing for the past three months. Comments. So if you want better results three months from now, you need to change your approach. So commit to that visibility and make sure that you're showing up and taking action that you need to create the success that you want.

So if this episode was really resonating with you, if you felt called out. I hope you know that was in an absolutely loving way. I want to let you know that if you are ready to commit to your visibility and take your business to the next level, then I would absolutely love to work with you and to support you. I'm not just the voice that you hear in your earbuds. I'm a real person who really helps people who really love supporting entrepreneurs in making their business passions a success, and I'm currently launching an exclusive new program for entrepreneurs who want to create a custom visibility strategy that works for your unique goals and strengths. So whether you're into podcast guesting or you want media features, you're looking for creative collabs, even if you're introverted, you want to figure out the best way that's going to work for you. I will work with you to design a plan that plays into your strengths so that you can attract your ideal clients and grow your audience, which then turns to leads, which then turns to sales. And as a founding member of this program, you will get the most direct access to me and personalized support from a small group of business owners who are working on elevating their visibility, plus you'll receive exclusive bonuses like private Voxer access and opportunities to get in front of my audience. So I'm going to create connections and collaboration opportunities share the things that are coming to me through the invitations that I am now receiving, as well as potentially getting you on my podcast, in front of my email list, whatever actually is a good fit for you, depending on what your business is.

You did it. You just listened to another episode of the Entrepreneur School Podcast. It's like you just went to business school while you folded your laundry, prepped dinner or picked up your kids at school. Thank you so much for being here. I want to personally celebrate your commitment to growing your business. You can imagine I'm throwing confetti for you right now. If you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a review. Make sure you're subscribed and let us know you're listening by screenshotting this episode and tagging us on Instagram. Head to entrepreneurschool.ca, for tons of tools and resources to help you grow your business while keeping your family a priority. You can subscribe to our email list and join our community and until next time, go out there and do the thing you.