There’s so much advice available in the online space about how to grow an online business that we don’t have to look very far, or hard, to find suggestions on how to solve our business ‘problems’. It’s easy to find someone offering the solution and very often the advice is solid, based on the experience of the business owner giving the advice.

That’s how the ‘expert’ or ‘knowledge-based’ business sphere works and I’m part of it, because I share my expertise and experience in the areas of personal and leadership development to show other entrepreneurs how to integrate these activities into their business for the sake of its, and their, growth.

What sets this subject apart from many others in relation to business growth, however, is that it’s not a temporary fix for business problems, and here’s why:

One of the reasons I believe (and know from my own experience) that entrepreneurial leadership development (which encompasses the personal development of the business owner) to be fundamental to the success of a business, is that it enables the business owner to learn, and embody, the fundamental skill of discerning when to seek external advice, and when to close their ears to all the well-meaning noise in the online space and trust their own decision making, action taking and individual business path.

Without this focus on your development as a business owner, it leaves you susceptible to the myriad options when it comes to strategies and tactics for business growth and to jumping on what you see ‘working’ for someone else or, worse still, every passing marketing or social media trend. 

And although doing so may feel like taking lots of action in your business, it actually leaves you relying on temporary fixes for a short-term, feel good experience about your business progress, without the results you want to show for your work.

I say that because I’ve been there, done that and become thoroughly demoralised in the process. I don’t want that for you, which is why I do what I do now (build business owners who want to build heart-led, impact driven businesses).

What do I mean by ‘temporary fixes’?

By temporary fixes I mean:

Downloading all the freebies to help you increase your instagram/tik tok/whatever the next one is reach so that you can feel more confident about marketing and / or

Signing up for all the live streams that tell you the 7 things you’re doing wrong and how to fix them so that you can feel more confident about taking action in your business to see results

I’m not saying freebies and live streams don’t have value, they do, but if you’re looking to them to be the solutions to your business problems

Yes, they might be accompanied by a rush of enthusiasm that you have something new to try that might ‘finally work’ for you

But what do you do when the rush of enthusiasm subsides?

Again, I’m only saying all this because I’ve been there more times than I’d care to admit, I’m not just trying to be harsh

But if you’re not in a place where you can approach taking action to grow your business consistently and confidently, it’s not bouncing around the internet looking for all the marketing, pricing and sales tips that you can get your hands on, preferably for free, that’s going to help

That’s not to be dismissive of the effort that actually goes into trying to figure all that out - marketing, pricing, selling etc.

It’s still necessary and, particularly when I started my first business in 2016, I definitely made the mistake of thinking that if I just got to grips with all the ‘external stuff’ required in business that I would feel better about taking the action that I needed to take.

I thought I wouldn’t doubt myself, I wouldn’t sweat before getting on video, I wouldn’t worry about what people would say about my content, I wouldn’t worry if I was good enough, I would just somehow feel good enough because I would know that my business was ‘working’.

The trouble with that belief and approach, though, was that even when I did make sales or get people saying they liked my products (my first business was product based), I was so disillusioned, discouraged and drained by all the self doubt and internal conflict, I didn’t believe them anyway.

That all sounds a bit grim, but I’m still here in the online space 6 years later, so stick with me and let’s talk some more.

I’ve heard it said a lot that entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone and that’s probably true. But what I would add to that statement is that I believe entrepreneurship is for anyone who wants it to be.

That’s you

And that’s me

So where does that leave us?

If it’s not bouncing around the internet looking for all the marketing, pricing and sales tips that you can get your hands on, preferably for free, that’s going to help,

What is going to make the difference?

What is going to support you to take the action to build your business?

Focusing on your entrepreneurial leadership development which includes as an integral part building your business mindset & focusing on your personal development as an entrepreneur.

In other words, Building the Business Owner to Build the Business.

You possibly knew I was going to say that, but what does it actually mean?

In practice, your development work as an entrepreneur means taking steps to:

• Build your confidence (instead of hoping that’ll magically happen if your biz grows)

• Do things that feel uncomfortable at first (or even a bit longer than at first)

• Learn how to separate yourself from your business so that you can show up as its leader, make decisions and take action without attaching your sense of worthiness or being ‘good enough’ to the result (or lack of result)

• Learn how to keep the faith when you don’t see the results you want in the timescale you want 

• Learn how to trust your own decisions instead of being swayed by the noise of all the well-meaning advice in the online space and

Fundamentally, it means maintaining the energy and belief to take consistent action based on your own decisive decisions and not succumb to the self-doubt that leads to procrastination, overwhelm, fear of being visible, fear of sharing what you want to share and the like.

That’s all personal stuff,  which is why I say that Business Is Personal and that you need to Build the Business Owner to Build the Business.

I found out the hard way that focusing on myself and my development was going to help me do all the external work required of me in business without making me throw in the towel on a daily basis

And, if you’ve listened to episode #41 of the Taking It Personally podcast, you’ll have heard me say what a sense of relief I felt when I realised my personal development work, including mindset work, was a legitimate business activity.

Do you recognise your own development as a priority business activity?

Do you treat mindset work as the underlying key to how you approach your business and the action you take, or don’t take, as a result?

I’d love to know what you think about this topic! You can find me on Instagram @elleturner_writer . 

Elle xo

Are you part of our heart-led conversation?

Our Heart-Led Conversation is my VIP email community. Click here to find out why you want to be part of it! When you join, to welcome you, I'll send you a FREE guide '5 ways to stop procrastinating and take action TODAY so that you can achieve your business goals'

And join me on the Taking It Personally Podcast, a podcast for heart-led entrepreneurs who want to grow their impact driven business. We talk about all things entrepreneurial leadership development and mindset so that you can grow a business that enables you to live the life that resonates with you, that’s in harmony with you at a heart and soul level.

Are you ready to make decisive decisions and take assured action to grow your heart-led, impact driven business and achieve the success, fulfilment and impact you desire? I'd like to invite you to check out Build the Business Owner, my 5-week hybrid programme for solopreneurs and micro-business owners.

Build the Business Owner is a combination of an online training course and 1:1 support from me.

Develop or consolidate the skills and mindsets to:

✨Grow your business in line with what you want for your life & according to your non-negotiable personal values. This is the solid foundation that enables you to make decisions and take actions with more confidence, energy and ease.

✨Develop the skills to look at your business objectively, make decisions with confidence, stick to them and, crucially, keep the faith and embrace new challenges (because you’re in this for the long term, am I right?) and

✨Develop an entrepreneurial leadership development practice that integrates your success mindset into your life and business actions daily so that you grow along with your business as it evolves and always into the leader your business needs.

Find out more and book a (no obligation, no pressure) call so we can chat if you feel it might be the best next step for you and your business. I would love to chat with you. xo

If we don’t know each other very well yet, I’m Elle Turner from elleturner.me and I’m here because I want to help get influence and income into the hands of heart-led business owners like you who want to leverage the potential of business to do good in the world. The way I’m here to do that is to use my skills and experience in the areas of personal development, leadership development and mindset for entrepreneurs in the online business space.